Mayoralty to seal old warehouses

JAKARTA (JP): The West Jakarta authorities have sealed 34 out of the 53 old warehouses in the Kota downtown area due to the reluctance of their owners to relocate their storage sites.

The sealed warehouses are located on Jl. Roa Malaka, Jl. Tiang Bendera, Jl. Pangeran Jayakarta and Jl. Pinangsia Raya. The sealing was done by officers of the West Jakarta public order and security office in a three-day operation.

The other 19 warehouses will be sealed this week unless the owners abide by the West Jakarta mayoralty's decision on the relocation plan, the head of the security office Karsidin said on Saturday.

Last month, the West Jakarta mayoralty issued the relocation order, requiring the owners of the 53 warehouses in Kota to move their storage facilities to other locations, including Kapuk and Pluit in West Jakarta, Ciracas in East Jakarta and Sunter in North Jakarta.

The city administration plans to revitalize the downtown area into an attractive tourist site.

The owners of the warehouses will be allowed to use their buildings for tourism or entertainment businesses, including discotheques and restaurants.

Besides protecting the old buildings, the plan is also aimed at supporting the tourist industry in the area, where there are a number of prominent museums, including the maritime, wayang (leather puppet) and Jakarta history museum.

Under the gubernatorial decree, Kota has been earmarked as a protected area.

Based on the decree, the authorities have asked the owners of old buildings in Kota not to change the architectural structures of their buildings. (29)