Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang yesterday vowed to inspect all 364 markets across the city to ensure legal compliance following a pickup bashing incident at the Seri Villa housing estate in Prawet district.
The incident on Monday in which two angry women smashed a market-goer's parked pickup truck blocking their driveway put the spotlight on hundreds of city markets and City Hall's management of them. It raised concerns about how many city ordinances those markets might have violated after it turned out that all five markets at the Seri Villa housing estate operated illegally. Some were found to violate the building code too.
Taking a team of Metropolitan Administration (BMA) staff to inspect the markets at the housing estate yesterday, Pol Gen Aswin said the BMA would launch a citywide inspection of the markets to determine if they meet city regulations.
He said any markets that did not comply with the city ordinances would be forced to "make it right". Of the disputed five markets, two of them -- Rungwanit and Rom Lueang -- were built without permits and the markets would be shut down, Pol Gen Aswin said.
Two other markets -- Ple and Yingnara -- were granted construction permits for a commercial purpose but the BMA would examine if they would be allowed to operate. The result was expected in a week.
The last one -- Suan Luang market -- was granted a construction permit but operated without a permit, he said. However, he said the BMA could shut it down, but would hear what the market operator had to say.
He said a committee would be set up to look into the opening of markets while the director of Prawet district office was ordered to hold talks with their operators and residents to resolve the dispute, he said.
"If the market operators fail to comply with the BMA's guidelines [after the talks], officials will file a complaint with police first and impose a daily fine of 5,000 baht," he said.
Pol Gen Aswin also vowed to take disciplinary action against BMA officials if they look the other way to the illegal operation of markets.
The governor also visited the home of Boonsri Saengyoktrakan who made headlines after she and her sister bashed a pickup truck belonging to a shopper at one of the markets which blocked their driveway. However, Ms Boonsri was not at home.
In a brief phone call with Ms Boonsri, the governor promised to see what City Hall could do to alleviate her plight. Ms Boonsri called on the governor to remove all the illegal markets in the neighbourhood and asked City Hall not to allow new markets.
"This is a residential area and the people who live here want peace and tranquility. Bangkok has a lot of space to be allocated for commercial development. The problems have dragged on for 10 years," she said.
Deputy Bangkok governor Thaweesak Lertprapan said all five markets at Seri Villa housing estate violated regulations.
