Miri Council to tighten scrutiny on licensed premises

MIRI (Dec 20): The Miri City Council (MCC) will intensify monitoring of premises holding food, trade, health, and entertainment permits starting next year.

The initiative, led by the Public Health and Licensing Section, meant to ensure stricter compliance with council regulations.

Deputy Mayor Councillor Ariffin Mohamad announced the move following a full council meeting, explaining it was prompted by police reports of misconduct at several entertainment outlets in Miri.

“Upon checking, we found out that these outlets are unlicensed,” he said.

“As the local government, we may not know everything that is happening but I have urged the officers in charge to be proactive in checking these outlets, and not just reacting when something happens.

He emphasised that ensuring businesses properly licence their operations also boosts council revenue.

Meanwhile, the enforcement unit will ramp up ‘Ops Pemutihan’ to tackle illegal structures and unregulated development across the city.

The deputy mayor also addressed the rise of home-based eateries in residential area.

He noted that while the council typically acts on complaints about noise and hygiene, it does not immediately issue compounds.

“We will first give a warning and a grace period. Only those who fail to comply will face stern action,” he clarified.

The warning, he explained, would usually come with advice for the business operators to change their land usage to legalise the premises for food and beverage purposes.