Lematang Gambir Road Access Reopened After 15-Year Closure

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Lematang road access in RW 02, Cideng Village, Gambir District, Central Jakarta, which had been blocked by a fence for 15 years, has now been reopened and is accessible to the public.

“Today we are opening the portal and clearing the street vendor stalls. Previously, this road access could not be used because it was blocked by a fence,” said the Camat (District Head) of Gambir, Muhammad Iqbal, in a written statement in Jakarta on Thursday.

Iqbal stated that the road closure had caused the area, which was previously used as a public road, to be converted into street vendor stalls and illegal parking spaces. According to him, all street vendor stalls will be tidied up and illegal parking will no longer be permitted at the location. “This road will be returned to its original function, meaning there can no longer be illegal parking or street vendors setting up their stalls here,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of Cideng Village, Arif Lingga Pratama, said that the removal of the fence, which had blocked the road access for 15 years, was carried out following an agreement with local residents. Moving forward, the area will also undergo restructuring, such as repairing drainage systems and beautifying the local park.

“Even though it has been opened, there will still be restrictions on the hours the gate is open and closed. However, this is all in accordance with the mutual agreement with residents, the core of which is that what was previously tightly closed can now be traversed by vehicles,” he said.

Based on gathered information, the road closure was originally implemented due to numerous criminal activities occurring in the area, ranging from burglaries of empty houses and vehicle mirror thefts to drug transactions and snatch-and-grab robberies. It is noted that the road closure has been in place since 2011, based on an agreement intended to ensure the security, order, and comfort of the residents.