Glodok street vendors to be moved: Sutiyoso<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has announced it will
\nrelocate the some 400 roadside vendors, most of whom sell pirated
\nVCDs and small electronic goods, operating around the busy Glodok
\nshopping center in West Jakarta beginning next year.<\/p>\n
Governor Sutiyoso, who visited the popular electronics center
\non Friday, said the street vendors would be relocated to a four-
\nstory market in nearby Perniagaan, which is currently under
\nrenovation.<\/p>\n
The governor said the move was needed to help overcome the
\nchronic traffic congestion in the area.<\/p>\n
The streets in the area, particularly parts of Jl. Hayam
\nWuruk, Jl. Gajah Mada and Jl. Pinangsia, witness heavy traffic
\njams throughout the day due to the presence of the traders on the
\nside of the streets, and the buses and minibuses that wait for
\npassengers in the crowded area.<\/p>\n
A police station has been built near the site but there are
\nnever any officers deployed to direct traffic.<\/p>\n
Uniformed police personnel often are seen sitting and standing
\namong the roadside vendors.<\/p>\n
The only option for the city administration, Sutiyoso said,
\nwas to move the traders to alleviate the traffic problems.<\/p>\n
\"These street vendors should be moved as the traffic
\ncongestion can no longer be tolerated. I expect the new market on
\nJl. Perniagaan will be a good place for these vendors,\" Sutiyoso
\nsaid after experiencing the traffic congestion himself.<\/p>\n
He also said the renovation of the Perniagaan market, known as
\nPetak 9, was expected to be completed next April.<\/p>\n
\"Every street vendor should pay for the kiosks they will use,
\nbut of course the rent will be low so it will not burden them,\"
\nSutiyoso said.<\/p>\n
Street vendors in Glodok have been a common sight for years.
\nAll types of pirated VCDs, from action films and pornography to
\nkaraoke songs, can be found here for between Rp 4,000 and Rp
\n7,000. Electronic goods such as small FM radios and TV antennas
\nare also on offer.<\/p>\n
The city administration and the police have repeatedly
\nattempted to remove the vendors, but always to no avail. For
\ntheir part, the vendors have repeatedly shown their reluctance to
\nmove from the area.<\/p>\n
Last May, the traders ran riot after police detectives raided
\nthe area in the morning just when they were about to open their
\nbusinesses. The vendors burned their wooden display stands to
\nexpress their anger. No fatalities were reported in the incident,
\nbut shop owners in the permanent shopping center were upset by
\nthe violent actions of the vendors.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully, the traders will be willing to accept the option
\nto move, so we won't see any more congestion problems in the
\narea,\" Sutiyoso said.<\/p>\n
The Perniagaan market will have 885 kiosks with a parking
\ncapacity of 102 vehicles. The Ministry of Finance has provide
\nsome Rp 11 billion (US$1.2 million) to renovate the building.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso also inspected the work being done on Glodok market,
\nwhich was burned down during the May 1998 riots that led to the
\ndownfall of former president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Finance distributed about Rp 60 billion to
\nrebuild the four markets -- all managed by city market operator
\nPD Pasar Jaya -- destroyed in the May 1998 riots, including
\nGlodok market.<\/p>\n
The other three markets, Cipete market and Pasar Minggu in
\nSouth Jakarta, and Palmerah market in Central Jakarta, have
\nalready reopened.<\/p>\n
PD Pasar Jaya president director Syahrir Tanjung said the
\nGlodok project would be completed next March and vendors would be
\nable to reopen their businesses in the market the following
\nmonth. (dja)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/glodok-street-vendors-to-be-moved-sutiyoso-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}