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)