Council supports relocation<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The City Council threw its weight behind West Jakarta
\nmunicipality's plan to relocate street vendors in the downtown
\narea of Glodok to nearby markets, but called on the municipal
\nadministration not to use violence.<\/p>\n
\"We support the plan. But, we don't want another clash
\n(between public order officers and street vendors) as what had
\nhappened in Pasar Minggu,\" said Achmad Suaedy, who chairs the
\nCity Council's Commission A overseeing administrative affairs.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of street vendors cluttering the Pasar Minggu bus
\nterminal in South Jakarta, who refused to be relocated, were
\ncaught in a brawl with public order officers on Aug. 20.<\/p>\n
The vendors opposed the relocation plan though the new 8,000
\nsquare meters location is only 500 meters away from the terminal,
\ncomplaining that the new location are not strategic and therefore
\nwould not attract people to come.<\/p>\n
Suaedy asserted that the officers had to try to persuade the
\nvendors to relocate.<\/p>\n
The West Jakarta municipality has been overwhelmed by
\ncomplaints from residents as well as businesspeople that the
\nstreet vendors occupying road shoulders and pedestrian sidewalks
\nhad caused chronic traffic jams in the area and made customers
\nreluctant to come.<\/p>\n
The administration said earlier that it planned to move the
\nvendors to a new location before the celebration of the
\nIndependence Day on Aug. 17.<\/p>\n
Suaedy said that his commission would summon city market
\noperator PD Pasar Jaya to discuss the preparation of the markets,
\nwhich will be used as relocation sites for the street vendors in
\nGlodok.<\/p>\n
\"We heard that the main obstacle to the relocation plan was
\nthat Pasar Jaya had not prepared space in the nearby markets for
\nthe street vendors,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Mayor Agustinus Fadjar Panjaitan acknowledged that
\nthere were difficulties.<\/p>\n
\"We need careful preparation to make the relocation
\nsuccessful. We are preparing space at the Perniagaan and Glodok
\ntraditional markets for the vendors,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The relocation is likely to be done in the next two months.<\/p>\n
\"We will prioritize the 800 vendors who now occupy Jl.
\nPancoran. After that, we will also move other 200 vendors from
\nJl. Petak Sembilan,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Glodok was the center of business and cultural activities in
\nthe city in the 19th century under the Dutch administration. The
\narea is now better known for its poorly maintained buildings,
\ntraffic jams, recurrent flooding, parking problems, street
\nvendors and heavily polluted rivers.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/council-supports-relocation-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}