Mayor asked to restore order to Melawai area<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City councillors from Commission B on economic
\naffairs have urged the South Jakarta mayoralty and the city-owned
\nmarket operator PD Pasar Jaya to make serious efforts to restore
\norder at the popular Plaza Melawai market compound which has been
\nthronged by hundreds of street traders.<\/p>\n
After leading the commission members on a visit to the area on
\nTuesday, the commission chairman Syarief Zulkarnain said that
\nthey had received complaints from representatives of the some 200
\ntraders running their businesses inside the building.<\/p>\n
The traders, he said, were unhappy with the presence of the
\nstreet vendors as the latter only created disorder in the
\nshopping area which, in turn, has badly affected their
\nbusinesses.<\/p>\n
For years, hundreds of vendors have occupied many of the
\npublic facilities in the vicinity of the market and its compound,
\nsuch as the streets, parking lot, sidewalks and the veranda of
\nthe market building.<\/p>\n
The traders at Plaza Melawai sell, among other things, gold
\njewelry, watches, clothes, garments, and toys, while their
\ncounterparts outside offer a wide range of goods, including
\npurses, belts and handbags -- all bearing fake brandnames --
\ntraditional cakes and drinks.<\/p>\n
Some of the wristwatches offered by the established traders
\ninside the market are also counterfeit big name brands.<\/p>\n
Plaza Melawai is located in the popular Blok M shopping center
\ncomplex, adjacent to the Pasaraya center and Blok M mall.<\/p>\n
Due to the presence of the street traders and the lack of law
\nenforcement on the part of the South Jakarta mayoralty, visitors
\nhave to struggle through the crowd of vendors in order to move
\nfrom one building to another.<\/p>\n
\"In the short-term, the mayoralty has to relocate their
\nmakeshift kiosks to other areas of the complex which are not so
\nbusy,\" councillor Syarief said after the visit.<\/p>\n
South Jakarta Mayor Abdul Mufti was not among the councillors
\nduring the official trip. He was represented by members of his
\nstaff.<\/p>\n
Syarief said the commission deplored the mayoralty's failure
\nto provide the street traders with an alternative solution.<\/p>\n
He also reminded the mayoralty staff that they would face
\nserious problems later in clearing the streets of the traders as
\nofficials from PD Pasar Jaya have been collecting fees from them.<\/p>\n
\"The street traders feel that they have a right to do business
\nin the area because the market operator has been collecting fees
\nfrom them,\" he said, adding that such practice is
\nagainst Law number 18\/97 on regional taxes and levies, which bans
\nthe collection of fees from small traders.<\/p>\n
The councillor also called on PD Pasar Jaya to further improve
\nits services to registered traders inside the building by
\nrepairing the air conditioning system and 10 elevators, which
\nhave been out of order for the past eight years. (06)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mayor-asked-to-restore-order-to-melawai-area-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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