'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.