A day by the beach to let some steam off after a long, hectic week at work sounds like a great plan. Many families and couples sometimes spend the weekend going for a picnic at the seaside, and the best part is, it’s free! But has the management at Port Dickson beach started to charge the visitors for picnicking there?
For illustration purposes only
An image of an RM5 receipt for picnicking at Port Dickson beach has circulated on social media during the weekend. It was initially shared by a Facebook user, ReebalSeller before it was deleted. However, many social media pages have since reshared the image, including the Twitter page Travel Jimat.
In the caption of the post, the man wondered if everything has to be paid now in Port Dickson.
“Smart. I was just sitting at the corner and they charged me RM5 when I spread out my picnic mat.”
The man continued to vent his anger and urged the Port Dickson City Council (MPPD) to look into the matter. The tweet has received major criticisms from many Malaysians, but is the operator really charging visitors for picnicking there?
“You’re not charged for picnicking but…”
As the man wished, the City Council immediately looked into the matter, and they have since clarified that the RM5 was imposed by Wellness Zone in Teluk Kemang. However, the visitors are not charged for picnicking there.
“Wellness Zone in Teluk Kemang imposed an RM5 fee as a cleaning fee”, MPPD clarified.
They also said that beach in Teluk Kemang receives many visitors, especially during weekends and the place does not have enough trash bins, which prompted visitors to litter.
They also denied that the man was charged for spreading out his mat, and said that the receipt that went viral on social media was a fake one.
“The charge is imposed as a way to handle to rubbish that the visitors leave at the place, and it’s made worse when stray dogs come and pollute the place,” MPPD added.
Berita Harian confirmed today (March 13) that MPPD appointed Wellness Zone as an operator to observe the area, especially during the weekend.
“I hope the visitors understand why they’re being charged RM5, and not because of spreading out their picnic mat there.”
Unfortunately, littering does happen everywhere, especially in places where trash bins are scarce. However, do you think it’s wise to impose an RM5 cleaning fee?
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