Cipinang traders reject 'irrational' renovation<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
About 100 vendors at the Cipinang rice market rejected on
\nWednesday a costly renovation plan they regarded as exorbitant
\nand unreasonable, planned by the management of PT Food Station
\nTjipinang Jaya.<\/p>\n
"The renovation plan, which will cost about Rp 8 million
\n(US$888.89) per square meter, is very irrational," said
\nFadjaruddin Tamar, head of the rice vendors' union in Cipinang
\nMarket.<\/p>\n
The Cipinang rice market, located in East Jakarta and
\nestablished in 1974, was at one time the largest rice market in
\nJakarta that also served as a distribution center to many places
\nin the city.<\/p>\n
According to President Director of Food Station Suhardi, the
\nmanagement was considering the renovation because of the fragile
\nconstruction of the facilities, which were built 29 years ago
\nwhen the market first opened.<\/p>\n
The electrical installation was also said to be in poor
\ncondition, although refurbishment were made only last year.
\nAccording to Fadjaruddin, this included the replacement of
\ndamaged electricity cables, while Suhardi said that last year's
\nrefurbishment only focused on the maintenance of visible
\nelectrical infrastructure.<\/p>\n
An overall renovation is at present being planned, as advised
\nby an independent technical consultant.<\/p>\n
Suhardi said that the renovation costs would also include
\nrental charges for the kiosks for the next 15 years. "The rental
\ncharges paid by the vendors up to the present will no longer be
\nvalid and should be renewed," he said.<\/p>\n
Vendors said the current rice business was gloomy and they
\ncould not afford such high renovation costs.<\/p>\n
"On average, the size of a kiosk is 24 square meters. So the
\nrenovation fee may run at about Rp 200 million per kiosk, and
\nsome vendors own several kiosks," said Fadjaruddin.<\/p>\n
Fadjaruddin and other vendors said they actually owned their
\nkiosks, so a renewal of rental charges was unnecessary. "I bought
\nmy store in 1974 for Rp 6,048,000 at that time," he said.<\/p>\n
As proof, he showed a copy of the ownership document signed by
\nthe Food Station's head of project at that time, M.S. Ngabadi.<\/p>\n
The current management, however, denied the validity of the
\ndocument. Suhardi said that since the market opened in 1974,
\nvendors had been paying regular fees for operation licenses,
\nwhich the vendors were obliged to renew every two years.<\/p>\n
The management challenged the vendors to take the ownership
\nissue to court.<\/p>\n
The vendors also complained about the poor service provided by
\nthe market's management.<\/p>\n
"Most of the electric bulbs in the market's parking lot are
\nbroken, but the management has not replaced them. They just leave
\nthe area unlit," said a vendor. "The waste water in the gutters
\nis horrible. It is dirty and the gutters are often clogged with
\ntrash."<\/p>\n
The vendors are required to pay a maintenance and development
\nfee of about Rp 200,000 (US$22.22) per month.<\/p>\n
Suhardi said the fee will be used for sanitation management,
\nsecurity guards and lighting. Manager Nasyun Bagiono even
\nadmitted that the lighting at the market was Food Station's
\nresponsibility.<\/p>\n
The city administration owned 75 percent of shares in PT Food
\nStation Tjipinang Jaya, while the remaining 25 percent was
\ndivided among several owners, some of whom were retired city
\nofficials, said Muhayat, spokesman for the administration.<\/p>\n
Suhardi, however, denied that former officials owned shares in
\nFood Station. "No, there are no retired officials of the Jakarta
\nregional administration among the shareholders," he said.<\/p>",
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