'Old town' vendors face relocation
'Old town' vendors face relocation
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
West Jakarta municipality has started relocating more than 1,500
street vendors in Glodok, West Jakarta, to nearby traditional
markets as part of an effort to bring some order to the chaos of
the old downtown area.
"We are still persuading the vendors to gradually move to the
nearby markets we have prepared," West Jakarta Mayor Fajar A
Panjaitan said over the weekend.
Fajar said that the street vendors had to be relocated as they
were occupying road shoulders and pedestrian sidewalks, causing
chronic traffic jams in the area.
PD Pasar Jaya spokesman Nurman Adhi confirmed the plan, saying
that his company had prepared space in the nearby Perniagaan and
Glodok markets to accommodate the vendors.
"However, we are awaiting the results of a mapping operation
being conducted by the municipality before pushing ahead with the
relocation plan," Nurman said.
He expressed optimism that many of the affected street vendors
would be able to pay rent for strategic spaces in the markets.
"Pasar Jaya has offered kiosks in the six-story Glodok market
to big vendors, while small vendors are expected to take up space
from the second to the seventh floor of Perniagaan market," he
said.
The municipality, Pasar Jaya and the vendors are still
negotiating over rents.
Pasar Jaya president director Prabowo Soenirman said earlier
that the company would give a grace period of six months for the
vendors in occupying their kiosks.
"But, afterwards, they will have to pay fees, of course,"
Prabowo said.
Meanwhile, Ella Ubaidi, who owns a boutique in the heritage
area, welcomed the relocation plan.
"That is a good move although it took a long time coming,"
said Ella, who is a member of Jakarta Old Town-Kotaku (JOK)
heritage association.
Back in the 19th century under the Dutch East Indies
administration, Kota played an important role as the center of
business and cultural activities. The area is now more famous for
its poorly maintained buildings, traffic jams, recurrent
flooding, parking problems, street vendors and heavily polluted
rivers.
Besides Glodok, the West Jakarta municipality will also
relocate street vendors from seven other locations across the
municipality.
Those locations are under the Slipi Jaya overpass, Jl. S.
Parman (in front of Tarumanegara University, Citraland shopping
mall and Trisakti University), Jl. Kiai Tapa, Outer Ring Road, in
Cengkareng, Jl. Pinangsia, Jl. Jembatan Lima/Pasar Mitra, the
banks of the Pesing River and Jl. Latumenten.
According to data from the West Jakarta Cooperatives, and
Small and Medium Enterprises Agency, there are more than 13,900
street vendors operating in the region, but only 3,344 are
registered with the agency.