'Old town' vendors face relocation<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
West Jakarta municipality has started relocating more than 1,500
\nstreet vendors in Glodok, West Jakarta, to nearby traditional
\nmarkets as part of an effort to bring some order to the chaos of
\nthe old downtown area.<\/p>\n
\"We are still persuading the vendors to gradually move to the
\nnearby markets we have prepared,\" West Jakarta Mayor Fajar A
\nPanjaitan said over the weekend.<\/p>\n
Fajar said that the street vendors had to be relocated as they
\nwere occupying road shoulders and pedestrian sidewalks, causing
\nchronic traffic jams in the area.<\/p>\n
PD Pasar Jaya spokesman Nurman Adhi confirmed the plan, saying
\nthat his company had prepared space in the nearby Perniagaan and
\nGlodok markets to accommodate the vendors.<\/p>\n
\"However, we are awaiting the results of a mapping operation
\nbeing conducted by the municipality before pushing ahead with the
\nrelocation plan,\" Nurman said.<\/p>\n
He expressed optimism that many of the affected street vendors
\nwould be able to pay rent for strategic spaces in the markets.<\/p>\n
\"Pasar Jaya has offered kiosks in the six-story Glodok market
\nto big vendors, while small vendors are expected to take up space
\nfrom the second to the seventh floor of Perniagaan market,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The municipality, Pasar Jaya and the vendors are still
\nnegotiating over rents.<\/p>\n
Pasar Jaya president director Prabowo Soenirman said earlier
\nthat the company would give a grace period of six months for the
\nvendors in occupying their kiosks.<\/p>\n
\"But, afterwards, they will have to pay fees, of course,\"
\nPrabowo said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ella Ubaidi, who owns a boutique in the heritage
\narea, welcomed the relocation plan.<\/p>\n
\"That is a good move although it took a long time coming,\"
\nsaid Ella, who is a member of Jakarta Old Town-Kotaku (JOK)
\nheritage association.<\/p>\n
Back in the 19th century under the Dutch East Indies
\nadministration, Kota played an important role as the center of
\nbusiness and cultural activities. The area is now more famous for
\nits poorly maintained buildings, traffic jams, recurrent
\nflooding, parking problems, street vendors and heavily polluted
\nrivers.<\/p>\n
Besides Glodok, the West Jakarta municipality will also
\nrelocate street vendors from seven other locations across the
\nmunicipality.<\/p>\n
Those locations are under the Slipi Jaya overpass, Jl. S.
\nParman (in front of Tarumanegara University, Citraland shopping
\nmall and Trisakti University), Jl. Kiai Tapa, Outer Ring Road, in
\nCengkareng, Jl. Pinangsia, Jl. Jembatan Lima\/Pasar Mitra, the
\nbanks of the Pesing River and Jl. Latumenten.<\/p>\n
According to data from the West Jakarta Cooperatives, and
\nSmall and Medium Enterprises Agency, there are more than 13,900
\nstreet vendors operating in the region, but only 3,344 are
\nregistered with the agency.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/old-town-vendors-face-relocation-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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