'Old City' vendors to be relocated

'Old City' vendors to be relocated

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The West Jakarta administration revealed a plan to relocate
hundreds of street vendors packing the narrow Jl. Pancoran in
Kota to nearby traditional markets as part of a project to revive
the old downtown area.

"We're still in discussion with city market operator PD Pasar
Jaya about the relocation plan," Mayor Fajar A. Panjaitan told
The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Fajar said his office had been assigned by the Jakarta
administration to rearrange the congested area, which has heavy
traffic, sanitation problems and the undisciplined street
vendors.

Pasar Jaya president director Prabowo Soenirman added that the
company was setting up space to accommodate the vendors.

"But, first, we have to clarify the misperception among
vendors that they could simply get the space or kiosks for free,"
Prabowo told the Post.

He explained that the vendors would be given a grace period of
six months "after which they have to pay rental fees".

Both Fajar and Prabowo did not specify the number of vendors
to be relocated or when the plan would be carried out.

The West Jakarta municipal administration has put the revival
of the old town area on its priority list this year. The project
covers the conversion of Jl. Roa Malaka Utara into a night dining
center plus Jl. Kali Besar Timur and Jl. Kali Besar Barat which
are lined with shops and cafes.

The municipal government has said that it was planning to
prohibit on-street parking, which is blamed for the chronic
traffic congestion in the oldest commercial and business area in
the city.

Back in the 19th century during the Dutch administration, Kota
played an important role as the center of business, residences
and cultural activities. The area is currently notorious for its
poorly maintained antiquated buildings, traffic jams, recurrent
flooding, on-street parking problems, street vendors clogging the
roads and the heavily polluted river.

Ella Ubaidi of the Batavia Advancement Committee said that the
relocation of street vendors was among key efforts to restore the
tarnished image of the area.

"The presence of street vendors is often associated with
congestion, a dirty environment and poor security, especially in
the evenings. If these vendors were well-managed, I am sure that
the area would be attractive to visitors," said the owner of a
heritage building which she converted into a boutique in the
area.

Ella, along with a group of heritage enthusiasts, who call
themselves Jakarta Old Town-Kotaku (JOK), have teamed up to
revitalize the historical area by cleaning up mounds of garbage
in Kali Besar River.