KELANTAN KPDN APPOINTS 172 PREMISES TO STORE EXTRA STOCKS FOR MONSOON SEASON

TANAH MERAH, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- A total of 172 wholesalers, retailers and suppliers across Kelantan have been appointed to ensure there is sufficient supply of essential goods throughout the monsoon season.

Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) Kelantan branch director Azman Ismail said all appointed premises are required to maintain an additional 30 per cent stock from November until March next year, covering 26 categories of basic necessities, including sugar, cooking oil, wheat flour, rice, eggs, as well as petrol and diesel.

“The premises were selected based on their strategic locations, which are less prone to flooding, and their capacity to store the additional stock.

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“This measure is crucial to ensure that residents in interior areas do not face shortages if flooding occurs,” he said at the monsoon season preparedness programme in Jajahan Jedok here today.

Azman said in Kota Bharu, seven retailers and five wholesalers have been appointed, while in Gua Musang, 12 retailers and 15 petrol stations have been given additional quotas.

Overall, he said, Kelantan has 250 petrol stations, each allocated different additional quotas based on their respective locations.

“Flood operations rooms have been activated in Pasir Mas, Tanah Merah, Kuala Krai and Gua Musang, operating until 10 pm daily to monitor supplies and road accessibility. They also coordinate with relevant agencies, including the Social Welfare Department, the Civil Defence Force and the National Disaster Management Agency,” he said.

In a separate development, he said that from January to October this year, Kelantan KPDN conducted more than 94,208 premises inspections and 36,197 vehicle inspections at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex (ICQS). A total of 214 arrests were made involving cases of petrol, diesel and cooking oil smuggling.

“The total value of the seizures amounted to RM4.62 million, involving 87,646 litres of petrol, 35,598 litres of diesel and 42,625 kilogrammes of cooking oil.

“Most of the cases involved local offenders, with the highest number related to the storage of petrol and cooking oil. We will continue close monitoring to ensure the supply chain remains unaffected throughout the flood season,” he said.

-- BERNAMA