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)