Muara Karang traders take row to council

Muara Karang traders take row to council

JAKARTA (JP): Traders opposed to the allocation of kiosk sites
at the Muara Karang market in North Jakarta took their protest to
city councilors on Monday.

The traders said the sites in the new four-story market were
marketed before a promised lottery to decide where the 271
original traders would be located.

"We have already told the authorities that the lottery should
be held," Choriyah, a vegetable trader, said.

"But the Pluit authority is holding a lottery today when we
know the sites have already been decided so we decided to come
here instead," she said yesterday.

The market, which will soon be renovated, is under the
supervision of the city-owned Pluit management authority, BPL
Pluit.

"The circular from BPL Pluit already designates where our
kiosks are. So the lottery is actually useless," a spokesman of
the traders, Napis, told the councilors.

He said food and vegetable sellers are to be on the third
floor upwards, while outside traders selling electronics have
been given the ground floor.

"It is no secret that traders will probably resort to
operating from carts in the market's back alleys" rather than
face few buyers on the upper floors, said Napis.

"We demand that BPL Pluit take into account the habits of
traditional buyers and traders," he said.

Around 80 traders visited the City Council where they were
guarded by security officials. They displayed posters which were
confiscated by the police.

The traders also complained late last year to the council,
saying they were intimidated by the police into agreeing to be
placed on any floor.

Darrundono, the chief of the Pluit authority, wrote in a
circular dated March 14 addressed to the traders that the lottery
for kiosks was scheduled from yesterday to March 20.

He also said the removal of traders to an unnamed temporary
site will be conducted from March 25 to April 6.

The circular says the construction of the new market will
begin on April 8.

A private firm, PT Bumi Citra Sentosa Jaya, has been appointed
by Governor Surjadi Soedirdja to rebuild the market. But traders
said they were confused on who they are dealing with, as
representatives of another company is involved, named PT Bumi
Permai Perkasa.

Councilor Nitra Arsyad stressed they should only deal with the
Pluit management agency, and said the commission will check
further into the report. (anr)