Tanah Abang victims get Ramadhan blessings<\/p>\n
P.C. Naommy, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
About 100 vendors displaced by the Tanah Abang textile market
\nfire are counting their blessings at their makeshift stalls set
\nup along the road next to the Kebon Melati basin in Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
The vendors are delighted with their temporary shops as they
\ncan earn a good income by selling Muslim clothes there.<\/p>\n
"This place brings blessings to us, especially during the
\nRamadhan fasting month," said Dedah, 44, who used to have a kiosk
\nin Tanah Abang.<\/p>\n
She said that she could bring home up to Rp 80 million
\n(US$9,412) a day at the new location.<\/p>\n
"Even when business is slack, we can still earn between Rp 30
\nmillion and Rp 40 million a day," she said.<\/p>\n
The vendors selling Muslim clothes priced between Rp 60,000
\nand more than Rp 100,000.<\/p>\n
Their makeshift shops stretch out along 300 meters of road
\nbetween the Kebon Melati basin and the Ascott Apartments on Jl.
\nKebon Kacang in Kebon Melati subdistrict, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The strategic location, which is near office buildings along
\nJl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin, has proven beneficial to the
\nvendors.<\/p>\n
Most customers work in the office buildings. They usually
\nvisit the stalls in the morning before going to the office or
\nduring their lunch breaks.<\/p>\n
"I heard about this market from my colleagues," said Niken,
\n25, who works in an office building in the area. "I love it here
\nbecause the prices are much cheaper than those at the Tanah Abang
\nmarket."<\/p>\n
Niken said she was able to buy a silk mukena (female Muslim
\nattire for praying) for just Rp 230,000 at the temporary market.<\/p>\n
"If I bought the same mukena at Tanah Abang, I would have had
\nto pay about Rp 350,000."<\/p>\n
The vendors usually set up their makeshift stalls about
\nmidnight and close for the day at about 4 p.m.<\/p>\n
The city administration allows them to set up their stalls
\nevery Monday and Thursday.<\/p>\n
"We have a permit to open our stalls here and we are being
\ncoordinated by Haji Ridwan from Tasik Malaya (West Java)," said
\nDedah.<\/p>\n
Ridwan helps the vendors arrange their permits and pay the
\nspecial fee to the administration during their stay there.<\/p>\n
Dedah also said that all vendors must pay a fee of Rp 30,000
\nper day. However, she said the amount was negotiable, depending
\non how much money the vendors earned for a particular day.<\/p>\n
Most of the vendors operating at the site are those who failed
\nto secure a spot in the Block D parking lot at the Tanah Abang
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
But the vendors are going to have to move back to the Tanah
\nAbang market after Idul Fitri. They will be relocated to Block F2
\nin the market. Some of the vendors have already moved back to the
\nmarket and now occupy kiosks in Block A.<\/p>\n
Tanah Abang, which used to be the largest textile market in
\nSoutheast Asia, was badly damaged by a fire on Feb. 19. More than
\n2,500 kiosks in blocks A, C and E were destroyed during the
\nblaze.<\/p>\n
The administration and city market operator PD Pasar Jaya plan
\nto rebuild the market and add another parking lot on a plot of
\nland owned by the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency. They have
\nsaid the project will take about two years to complete.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tanah-abang-victims-get-ramadhan-blessings-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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