The Federal Territories Ministry has postponed its ban on soup kitchens feeding Kuala Lumpur’s homeless and destitute from the city centre to after Hari Raya, after a nearly three-hour discussion between the government and NGOs operating soup kitchens in the city failed to find a final solution.
Kechara Soup Kitchen’s (KSK) Datuk Ruby Khong said talks between the ministry and NGOs will resume tomorrow.
The Malay Mail Online reports Federal Territories Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Adnan Md Ikhsan said a laboratory involving relevant government agencies and NGOs will be set up to discuss short-term and long-term solutions to urban homelessness.
“We want to maintain cleanliness and ensure that public places can also be enjoyed by other people,” Adnan told a press conference after meeting with a dozen NGOs here.
He stressed, however, that soup kitchens operating in buildings within the 2km zone of the Lot 10 shopping mall, such as KSK, would not be affected by the ban.
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