Six Jalan Alor eateries shut after DBKL raid uncovers rats, cockroaches and filthy kitchens

KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — Six eateries along Kuala Lumpur’s famed Jalan Alor food street have been ordered to close after a surprise late-night enforcement operation uncovered serious hygiene violations, including rat and cockroach infestations, improperly stored food and food handlers who had not received mandatory typhoid vaccinations.

The enforcement operation, carried out by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall in collaboration with the Ministry of Health on June 25, saw inspectors check 45 food premises along the popular Bukit Bintang dining strip.

In a statement today, DBKL said the operation was conducted “to ensure the standards of cleanliness, food safety and compliance with licensing conditions at food premises are always at the prescribed level.”

The city authority issued 74 notices and compounds under various laws, including the Kuala Lumpur Food Establishment Licensing By-Laws 2016, the Federal Territory Food Handlers By-Laws 1979, the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974, the Kuala Lumpur Trade, Business and Industry Licensing By-Laws 2016, and the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024.

According to DBKL, inspectors found a range of offences, including failure to maintain cleanliness, grease traps that were either not installed or poorly maintained, cockroaches and rats in kitchen areas, improper food storage, food handlers who had neither received typhoid vaccinations nor attended mandatory food handling courses, as well as breaches of smoking regulations and licensing conditions.

As a result, six food premises were ordered to close under By-Law 28(1) of the Kuala Lumpur Food Establishment Licensing By-Laws 2016 “for failing to comply with the prescribed hygiene requirements,” DBKL said.

The authority said it would continue stepping up enforcement efforts “to ensure food premises in the capital continue to comply with the law, while safeguarding cleanliness, food safety and the well-being of city residents.”