Glodok Jaya to resume electric power supply

Glodok Jaya to resume electric power supply

JAKARTA (JP): The management of Glodok Jaya shopping center will overcome the lack of electricity within two weeks, its chairman has said.

The power supply, which was disrupted when fire damaged the building's generator in June, will be reconnected within the next two weeks, chairman Paul Harahap, told The Jakarta Post at his office yesterday.

Many shop owners have complained about the noise and smoke produced by smaller generators, which they themselves installed after the fire in an effort to overcome the power problem.

"I fully understand their complaints but it takes time to reactivate the electricity generator, which is located inside the building," Harahap said.

Some 1,000 merchants have claimed that the smaller generators cause air and sound pollution which is hazardous to their health.

Several traders told the Post yesterday that the generators were a cruel necessity for them. "We need them because we have no electrical power, but on the other hand they cause us a great inconvenience."

A newspaper report said Wednesday that the traders planned to sue the building's management for Rp 200 billion (US$89,887,600) in medical costs, which they claim they have spent due to illnesses caused by pollution.

According to Harahap, the management has hired an expert to check the condition of the building, which includes the electricity supply, before it is reopened by officials of state- owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara. Companies must have PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara's authority to operate generators.

"We need to handle the condition of this very large building carefully," he said. He added that he always pays attention to the safety of tenants.

Harahap himself admitted he experienced shortness of breath in the building once.

He said the management had worked hard to minimize the negative impact of the present condition by, among other things, moving the generators to the parking lot on the fifth floor and giving each shop one ampere of electricity during the service.

The traders said that the removal of the generators has helped minimize the problem, but they still demand that the central electricity supply be quickly restored.

"We understand the condition, but we need electricity soon," Duki, one of the merchants in the second floor, said. (03)