Kuala Lumpur mayor Mahadi Che Ngah said the homeless would be placed at the temporary shelters in Sentul Perdana and Setiawangsa here until the end of February.

They will be taken to the Homeless Transformation Centre in Taman Desa (formerly Desa Water Park) in early March where they will be given assistance in looking for a job.

“Here, they will be given skills training to prepare them for permanent employment to earn a living.

“The courses planned include basic skills for urban agricultural projects and other suitable skills,” he said in a statement today.

Last night, Mahadi participated in an integrated operation involving 95 personnel from the police, Social Welfare Department, health ministry and Immigration Department.

Meanwhile, Mahadi said DBKL was looking into a comprehensive solution to tackle the problem of homelessness, apart from providing them shelter.

“We are looking into a more structured programme to facilitate management in terms of food distribution to this group by non-governmental organisations or private parties.

“It is not appropriate to go on with the current food distribution system in the city centre because, besides the traffic congestion, it leaves a negative impact on municipal management,” he said.