Mayoralty denies demolition charge

Mayoralty denies demolition charge

JAKARTA (JP): The Central Jakarta mayoralty has denied the
allegations of Rawasari market traders, who complained to the
City Council last March that the mayoralty was behind the
demolition of their kiosks.

Councilor Nitra Arsyad, deputy chairman of Commission B for
economic affairs, heard yesterday from mayoralty officials that
the individual behind the demolition claims to own the land.

"The mayoralty denied its involvement in the pulling down of
208 kiosks in Rawasari market," Nitra said after a hearing with
executives of the mayoralty.

The alleged owner also built fences around the land, which is
being claimed by three parties.

"The mayoralty has stopped the fence building and has promised
to destroy the fences," said Nitra. "The administration should
put it under its supervision until the court makes a decision."

The commission also urged the mayoralty to permit the 200
traders who had their kiosks demolished to temporarily re-open in
the same Central Jakarta area.

In the long term, he said, the mayoralty should relocate the
traders to another market not too far from Rawasari.

Rattan sellers

The 30 traders claimed to represent 208 others, most of whom
were sellers of rattan and ceramic goods. They said the tearing
down of their kiosks was done without any prior warning or
compensation.

On Monday the commission also held a hearing with the West
Jakarta Mayoralty on its plans to relocate Petak Sembilan market
traders to other city-owned markets in Kota.

The plan to demolish the kiosks of the Petak Sembilan traders
is part of the mayoralty's plan to renew the Kota area, Nitra
said. "But the mayoralty only told the Petak Sembilan traders to
move, and not the other traders in the area. As a result, the
Petak Sembilan traders became frustrated and resisted the
demolition plan last month," he said.

The kiosks were supposed to be pulled down last month, but
hundreds of traders, with posters and banners, resisted the
demolition.

The traders have also complained to the City Council about the
mayoralty's policy, he said, adding that the traders have been
given priority for kiosks at 18 markets in West Jakarta run by PD
Pasar Jaya, the city market company. (yns)