Administration sets up task force in city clean-up
Administration sets up task force in city clean-up
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration is intensifying its
routine public order operations in connection with the national
discipline campaign and the city's 468th anniversary.
To support the operation, it has formed a special task force
of 330 officials from various relevant agencies, including the
city public order office, the city police and the social service
office.
"In this year's anniversary celebrations, we want to see the
beloved city clean and orderly," Toha Reno, head of the city
administration's public order department, told reporters
yesterday.
He said the main goal of the operation is to restore the
function of public facilities in the city of 10 million people,
such as bus shelters and sidewalks that have been occupied by
street vendors.
Toha conceded that the number of personnel involved in the
operation is not enough because the activities also include
information campaigns on public order regulations.
"The team members are often overwhelmed because when they are
cracking down on illegal vendors in a certain place, vendors in
other areas swarm the street," he said.
The operation is conducted twice a day, from 6 a.m to 1 p.m.
and from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Deputy Governor for Government Affairs Idroes has identified
public facilities in 31 places across the city as having been
misused, mostly by roadside vendors.
Reno said violators of public order regulations are either
verbally reprimanded or tried on the spot.
During last month's operation the team apprehended 328 street
vendors. Most of them were required by judges to pay fines that
ranged from Rp 4,000 (US$1.3) to Rp 30,000.
The operation also detained 2,214 people crossing the street
in prohibited places, especially in main roads such as Jl.
Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman.
Not enough
"They were verbally reprimanded or made to do push-ups on the
spot," Reno said. He acknowledged that the pedestrian bridges are
not enough in number, tempting people to cross the street in
prohibited places.
Reno said the city administration should take action to
overcome this problem so people will use pedestrian bridges to
cross streets.
The operation in May also rounded up about 1,350 people,
including 783 street vendors, 69 three-in-one jockeys, 45
prostitutes and 16 transvestites from the city streets.
"We send these people to social rehabilitation centers in
Kedoya, Cipayung and Pondok Bambu, or send them back to their
hometowns," Reno said, adding that the rehabilitation program
includes training certain skills.
The team has also seized 671 street vendor carts, 13 pedicabs
and 2,004 illegal billboards. (yns)