Officials blame each other for latest fire<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
City-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya has refused to accept
\nresponsibility for Wednesday's fire at central Jakarta's Tanah
\nAbang market, the country's largest textile market.<\/p>\n
\"It's a disaster. We followed standard procedure (to
\nextinguish the fire),\" PD Pasar Jaya president Syahrir Tanjung
\nannounced on Thursday after meeting Governor Sutiyoso at City
\nHall.<\/p>\n
Syahrir claimed that Tanah Abang market was equipped with
\nstandard fire equipment, such as fire extinguishers and fire
\nhydrants.<\/p>\n
He dismissed speculation that the fire, which broke out at
\n12:30 p.m on Wednesday and was still burning as of Thursday
\nevening, was intentionally set since PD Pasar Jaya had planned to
\ndevelop a new market on the site.<\/p>\n
\"It's not true. We also suffered losses due to the fire since
\none-third of our total annual revenue was from the market,\"
\nSyahrir said.<\/p>\n
He revealed that PD Pasar Jaya received about Rp 100 billion
\n(US$11.11 million) per year in rent from dozens of markets in the
\ncity, one-third of which came from Tanah Abang market.<\/p>\n
While neglecting to mention the amount of estimated losses,
\nSyahrir said the fire had destroyed at least 3,000 stalls in the
\nmarket's A, C and E blocks.<\/p>\n
\"The market building was insured with city-owned insurance
\nfirm Askrida, but the amount of the insurance policy is too low
\ncompared to the losses suffered,\" he said. He did not mention the
\namount of the insurance policy.<\/p>\n
Thursday's meeting was also attended by Deputy Governor Fauzi
\nBowo, officials from the City Fire Department and the City
\nEconomics Office.<\/p>\n
The head of operational division of the City Fire Department,
\nM. Ishak S, said poor access and the poor condition of fire
\nequipment had made it difficult for his men to extinguish the
\nfire.<\/p>\n
\"Narrow entryways made it difficult to reach the fire, while
\nthe water hydrants could not supply water properly,\" said Ishak
\nafter the meeting.<\/p>\n
He claimed that the building had the correct safety equipment
\nas required by City Bylaw No. 2\/1992 on fire safety.<\/p>\n
\"But I don't know why most of it wasn't working,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The city administration, especially PD Pasar Jaya, has been
\nrepeatedly warned of the possibility of fire due to the cramped
\nconditions in the market, which housed about 7,000 stalls,
\nexcluding some 2,000 street traders outside the market.<\/p>\n
Financial assistant to the city secretary Rusdi Yusuf said
\ntraders whose stalls were destroyed during the fire would
\npossibly be temporarily moved to a six-hectare plot in Waduk
\nMelati, also in Tanah Abang.<\/p>\n
\"The land is under the supervision of the Indonesia Bank
\nRestructuring Agency. Perhaps, we could use the land,\" Rusdi said
\nafter the meeting.<\/p>\n
He said that should the traders refuse the offer, the
\nadministration would build temporary stalls near the market.<\/p>\n
He said the administration would study whether it would build
\na market or just repair it.<\/p>",
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