Glodok street vendors to be moved: Sutiyoso
Glodok street vendors to be moved: Sutiyoso
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has announced it will
relocate the some 400 roadside vendors, most of whom sell pirated
VCDs and small electronic goods, operating around the busy Glodok
shopping center in West Jakarta beginning next year.
Governor Sutiyoso, who visited the popular electronics center
on Friday, said the street vendors would be relocated to a four-
story market in nearby Perniagaan, which is currently under
renovation.
The governor said the move was needed to help overcome the
chronic traffic congestion in the area.
The streets in the area, particularly parts of Jl. Hayam
Wuruk, Jl. Gajah Mada and Jl. Pinangsia, witness heavy traffic
jams throughout the day due to the presence of the traders on the
side of the streets, and the buses and minibuses that wait for
passengers in the crowded area.
A police station has been built near the site but there are
never any officers deployed to direct traffic.
Uniformed police personnel often are seen sitting and standing
among the roadside vendors.
The only option for the city administration, Sutiyoso said,
was to move the traders to alleviate the traffic problems.
"These street vendors should be moved as the traffic
congestion can no longer be tolerated. I expect the new market on
Jl. Perniagaan will be a good place for these vendors," Sutiyoso
said after experiencing the traffic congestion himself.
He also said the renovation of the Perniagaan market, known as
Petak 9, was expected to be completed next April.
"Every street vendor should pay for the kiosks they will use,
but of course the rent will be low so it will not burden them,"
Sutiyoso said.
Street vendors in Glodok have been a common sight for years.
All types of pirated VCDs, from action films and pornography to
karaoke songs, can be found here for between Rp 4,000 and Rp
7,000. Electronic goods such as small FM radios and TV antennas
are also on offer.
The city administration and the police have repeatedly
attempted to remove the vendors, but always to no avail. For
their part, the vendors have repeatedly shown their reluctance to
move from the area.
Last May, the traders ran riot after police detectives raided
the area in the morning just when they were about to open their
businesses. The vendors burned their wooden display stands to
express their anger. No fatalities were reported in the incident,
but shop owners in the permanent shopping center were upset by
the violent actions of the vendors.
"Hopefully, the traders will be willing to accept the option
to move, so we won't see any more congestion problems in the
area," Sutiyoso said.
The Perniagaan market will have 885 kiosks with a parking
capacity of 102 vehicles. The Ministry of Finance has provide
some Rp 11 billion (US$1.2 million) to renovate the building.
Sutiyoso also inspected the work being done on Glodok market,
which was burned down during the May 1998 riots that led to the
downfall of former president Soeharto.
The Ministry of Finance distributed about Rp 60 billion to
rebuild the four markets -- all managed by city market operator
PD Pasar Jaya -- destroyed in the May 1998 riots, including
Glodok market.
The other three markets, Cipete market and Pasar Minggu in
South Jakarta, and Palmerah market in Central Jakarta, have
already reopened.
PD Pasar Jaya president director Syahrir Tanjung said the
Glodok project would be completed next March and vendors would be
able to reopen their businesses in the market the following
month. (dja)