Betawi market in Kota needs to be renovated

Betawi market in Kota needs to be renovated

JAKARTA (JP): A member of the City Council said yesterday that
renovating the Betawi markets in the downtown West Jakarta area
of Kota would help attract more tourists to the city.

Hasan Dasy of the council's Commission B, which is responsible
for economic affairs, urged all related offices, including the
City Public Works Office, the City Restoration Office, the City
Tourism Office and the City History and Building Arrangement
Office, to jointly handle the restoration of the marketplace.

"The restoration is needed because of the poor condition of
the markets, which are frequently flooded during high tide," he
said.

Hasan said the flooding is believed to have been caused by
reckless filling activities in the lower areas of the coast on
the part of developers preparing the ground for the construction
of housing estates.

Due to the frequent flooding, 272 sellers at the markets,
which cover an area of 7,936 square meters, went to the City
Council recently to ask for help in improving the situation.

Chalid M. Tanjung, one of the markets' traders, expressed
confidence that the flooding, which has continued to be a problem
despite the absence of rain during the current dry season, has
been caused mainly by the reclamation of swamps, including those
in Pluit Muara Karang and Pantai Mutiara, for the establishment
of housing complexes.

He said that the flood waters, which have damaged a
100-meter-high wall protecting the market area from the sea,
frequently rise to more than a meter above the markets' floor,
inundating the 348 kiosks, which offer fishing equipment ranging
from bait to fishing rods and nets.

Hasan, who is a member of the United Development Party faction
in the City Council, said that the marketplace must be maintained
because it is the only one which caters to fishermen's needs.

In addition, the market, established by the Dutch in 1846,
could be developed as one of the city's tourist attractions,
given its long history, Hasan said during a visit to the markets
yesterday.

Subagyo Partodihardjo, another member of Commission B, said
that a damaged large-scale aquarium, which used to display
various kinds of fish, must also be repaired.

He said the existence of the aquarium would remind the public
of the rich collection of fish and other marine animals which
inhabit the sea off the coast of Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Soedradjat Soeleman, president of the city-owned
market-managing company PD Pasar Jaya, promised to repair the
broken sea wall.

Further development of the markets area needs coordination
with other related offices in the city administration, he
said.(32)