North Jakarta market demolition postponed
North Jakarta market demolition postponed
JAKARTA (JP): An official in charge of the Pluit area
development in North Jakarta said he will delay the planned
demolition of a market in compliance with Thursday's order issued
by the Jakarta State Administrative Court.
"I will comply with the court decision to postpone the
demolition for 90 days," Darrundono, the chief of the Pluit
authority, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
Demolition of the Muara Karang market was scheduled to begin
today after traders were ordered to move their shops between
March 25 and April 6 to a makeshift market located 50-meters away
before the construction of the new four-story market is
completed.
"They're welcome to stay or move to the new site for
approximately six months for free," he said, referring to the
status quo that the postponement inferred.
After several visits to the City Council to express their
grievances, some 120 traders have decided to file a lawsuit
against the Pluit authorities at the Jakarta State Administrative
court.
The traders complained that they had been unfairly treated. In
their earlier complaints, they said the lottery intended to
allocate new sites was a mere formality from the city government
because sites had been determined in advance.
Darrundono, however, refuted the accusation. "The lottery we
conducted was fair and open," he said.
According to the Pluit authority chief, an agreement was
reached between the traders and authorities in November 1995.
The traders have demanded that the first floor should be
reserved for vegetable vendors instead of jewelry and electronics
shops as determined by the authority.
Vegetable traders fear that the inconvenience of the location
on the second floor will discourage costumers from visiting their
stalls. They fear shoppers will shun their stalls and buy
vegetables elsewhere, at more accessible locations.
Darrundono gave two reasons for defending the city
government's refusal to fulfill the traders' demands. He believed
that if vegetable traders' stalls are located on the first floor,
the number of customers would markedly drop because, as typical
with fresh produce, the market will remain dirty.
The second reason is that vegetable traders tend to do
business in the morning and close their kiosks when all their
vegetables have been sold, while traders on the upper floors
would open their kiosks all day.
"We can't fulfill this demand if we want the market to
function all day," Darrundono said.
The authorities assured traders that lifts will be provided to
help vegetable traders move their goods. (14)