New location sought for Senen traders

New location sought for Senen traders

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta municipality is considering
alternative locations for traders whose kiosks were razed in the
weekend Senen shopping center fire, an official said yesterday.

The suggested relocation places include the shopping center's
parking lot and the Jakarta Kemayoran fairground, Deputy Governor
for Administration Affairs Idroes said.

However, the traders refused to be moved to Kemayoran because
the unfavorable location might harm their businesses.

Instead, they asked to be relocated to the shopping center's
parking ground or the Atrium shopping center across from the
burned buildings.

Idroes said the governor would decide the new location.

The fire gutted more than 750 shops in block IV and V of the
Central Jakarta shopping center.

Idroes said the authority was still investigating the fire's
cause which started midnight last Friday and burned until early
Monday.

Central Jakarta fire department chief Suharso said the fire
could have been handled sooner if the buildings had had adequate
fire prevention devices.

"The fire would not have lasted so long and caused such
extensive damage had the buildings' alarm system and ceiling
sprinklers worked," Suharso said.

Suharso said he could not recall the last time the Senen
devices were checked. He said checking the building's fire
protection equipment was not solely the fire department's
responsibility.

"There are thousands of buildings in Jakarta whose fire
prevention devices we have to control. With our limited
personnel, it would take us almost two years to launch the
operation, " he said.

Suharso said between 600 and 700 buildings in Jakarta were not
well equipped in the event of fire.

Meanwhile, a Senen department store representative denied
reports his store was destroyed in the blaze.

Ramayana Department Store's Setyadi Surya said Ramayana was in
a different building from the fire site and reopened yesterday.

Although police have not been able to estimate the fire's
cost, traders estimated each shop lost about Rp 100 million.

Many traders insured neither their kiosks nor their goods.

"We have only been here for a year and have not made any
profit," one traders said.

Another said he was disappointed a PT Jaya Property
representative had not contacted him. PT Jaya Property manage the
shopping center.

PT Jaya Property data estimates the fire would cost it about
Rp 1 billion of this year's net income.

The Central Jakarta head of Telkom, the state-run
telecommunications company, said the blaze disconnected nearly 80
percent of the areas 1,500 telephone lines.

The company has set up automatic answering machines to explain
why the lines were disconnection.

Some kiosk owners yesterday told the city council's United
Development Party (PPP) faction that they suspected arson.

The traders who owned clothing and shoe shops on the first
floor of block IV denied the fire started on their floor as the
fire department reported.

They said when they first came to the shopping center, fire
had not spread to the first floor and did not do so until much
later.

They said they had witnesses who said the fire came from the
block's second floor.

The PPP's Saud Rahman said his faction would investigate. (02)