Klender traders protest management

JAKARTA (JP): Eleven legume traders from Klender market in East Jakarta went to the City Council yesterday to complain about the city-owned market management company PD Pasar Jaya's inconsistency in space allotment.

The traders asked councilors from Commission B for economic affairs to urge PD Pasar Jaya to let them operate on the ground floor and basement of the market.

They had been allotted space on the first floor but buyers did not frequent their stalls as they could easily get what they needed from those located on lower floors, Lala, one of the traders, said.

"We have suffered big financial losses because no buyers are willing to come to our stalls to buy our produce," she said.

The six-story market, which can accommodate 1,869 stalls, was renovated last year after being razed by fire in March of that year. Fire had also razed the market on Dec. 5, 1993.

Lala said that Pasar Jaya had issued a regulation setting aside the first floor for legume trading, the basement for fruits and spices and the ground floor for vegetables, fish and meat. The remaining three floors had been turned into a parking lot.

However, many traders violated the regulations by trading wherever they wanted without any punishment from Pasar Jaya management.

Samino, another trader, said that in January they had filed their complaint with the commission but they received no response.

The head of the commission, Djafar Badjeber, promised yesterday to summon the head of Pasar Jaya to discuss the matter. (05)