Traders want PLN to stop blackout<\/p>\n
TANGERANG (JP): More than 1,500 traders at Cikokol market have
\nstrongly protested the disconnecting of electricity at their
\nkiosks by state-owned electricity company PT PLN.<\/p>\n
The vendors, who mostly sell daily needs, threatened Monday to
\nprotest the one-sided decision at the local PLN office if their
\nkiosks remained without power.<\/p>\n
According to the small-scale vendors, the disconnection --
\ncarried out on the same day by a team from the local PLN office
\n-- has no legal basis because each kiosk had paid the market
\noperators Rp 2,500 per day for three years for electricity.<\/p>\n
\"The money amounts to hundreds of millions of rupiah and
\nshould have been received by PLN,\" one trader said.<\/p>\n
According to the traders, PLN should have discussed the matter
\nwith market officials or with officials of Tangerang mayoralty
\nbefore cutting off their power, which has disrupted evening
\ntransactions at the market.<\/p>\n
The vendors were told by the PLN team members that the move
\nwas meant to prevent electricity theft allegedly committed by
\nlocal vendors who connected cables directly to PLN cables.<\/p>\n
According to PLN employees, the company has suffered losses
\ntotaling hundreds of millions of rupiah due to power theft.<\/p>\n
The state employees also told the traders that such theft
\ncould endanger their lives and their businesses due to the
\npossibility of electrical short circuits.<\/p>\n
The traders did not comment on the statement of PLN employees.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, mayoralty spokesman Harry Mulya Zein regretted
\nPLN's method in trying to solve the problem, saying the move
\nshould first have been discussed with related parties.<\/p>\n
\"It's PLN's right to cut off the electricity, but it was not a
\nwise decision,\" Harry said.<\/p>\n
He promised to look into the traders' claims of paying Rp
\n2,500 daily to market operators. (41\/jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/traders-want-pln-to-stop-blackout-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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