Flood-stricken shop owners demand compensation

Flood-stricken shop owners demand compensation

Wahyuana
The Jakarta Post/Bekasi

At least 300 owners of shops on the ground floor of Mal Mega
Bekasi shopping mall on Monday demanded that the building
management pay them compensation in money for the losses they
suffered due to Sunday's floods.

The traders refused compensation in the form of free promotion
or discounted fees and service charges that had been granted to
them for losses in previous floods. They also demanded that the
management relocate them to the upper floor.

"We need cash to rebuild our businesses after the floods ...
if the management fails to respond quickly, then we may take the
case to court," the traders' coordinator, Rizaldi, remarked.

The shopping mall is located on Jl. Ahmad Yani, near the
Bekasi Barat toll exit, alongside Giant hypermarket, Metropolitan
Mall I and II, Ramayana department store, Horison Hotel and Hero
department store.

While much of the ground floor was completely under water, the
parking lot, which is located above it was also flooded (photo).

Kali Malang river -- which is located about 200 meters away
from the back of the shopping complex -- had overflowed at around
5 a.m. on Sunday after heavy rainfall from Saturday evening.

The biggest flood compared to previous years', many traders
lost their merchandise valued at between Rp 200 million and Rp
400 million per shop.

The housing estates located between Kali Malang and Citarum
rivers, such as Kemang Pratama I and II, Pondok Mitra Lestari,
Sinar Pondok Gede, Vila Jatirasa, Pondok Gede Permai, Vila Nusa
Indah, Peduli Asih, Vila Kartini Park and Jaka Kencan, were also
flooded and remained so on Monday.

Sunday's flood forced Bani Saleh Hospital on Jl. Kartini, East
Bekasi, to evacuate 21 patients to Bekasi General Hospital.

Later in the day, water flooded the emergency ward reaching a
depth of 90 centimeters and submerging medical equipment and
medicine, as well as vehicles in the parking lot.