Wee (seated second right) and some of the lodging house operators after the dialogue session.

KUCHING: Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) will help to legalise all unlicensed lodging houses under its jurisdiction.

Commission member Dato Wee Hong Seng said DBKU has to step in because these lodging houses have all this while been very pro-business.

“We are also trying to get a ‘three-win-situation’ involving the lodging house operators, the tenants themselves and the government.

“We have tried to understand the problems the operators are facing and to assist them to get registered and licensed.

“Of course, as far as the rules and regulations are concerned, I think the important point is to ensure the safety of the public especially tourists,” he told reporters after the second dialogue session with the unlicensed lodging house operators here yesterday.

He said DBKU was also trying to collect all requirements from the Fire and Rescue Department, State Planning Authority (SPA) as well as the Land and Survey Department so that it can assist the operators with the registration.

He said the operators have been briefed on the requirements by the three authorities during the first dialogue on Jan 1 this year.

“However, some of the requirements, I would say are ‘mission impossible’ because for instance there are several operators who are having their lodging house in the old shop houses.

“You all know most of the houses in the city area are back-to-back. So if you are talking about fire escape from the back of the building, once you knock it down you see on the other side there is the wall of another house.

“Those are some of the things that we have to explain to the authority concerned on behalf of the operators,” he said.

Wee hoped that some to the regulations could be relaxed given most of the operators are operating less that 20 rooms and therefore less resourceful in terms of financing.

“I wish to emphasise again that one thing we will not give way is on the safety of the guests.

“Other regulations, I hope the authority can relax on some of them so that the licence can be issued in the shortest period after application.

“I will be very happy if the authority can issue the licence to all of them within a year,” he said.

Wee said currently that there 17 unlicensed lodging houses operating in DBKU area.

He believed once they are registered and licensed, they would be insured, meaning if anything were to happen, the tenants, operators and the public need not worry.

He said aside from that, the operators also could market themselves openly without having to hide from the authorities.