Public order agency

Public order agency
aims to make Senen
like Jl. Thamrin

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Public order officers plan to remove street vendors from the
crowded, busy area of Senen in Central Jakarta as well as the
main road passing through the area from Matraman to Gunung
Sahari.

Head of the City Public Order Agency, Soebagio, said on
Tuesday that the administration intended to emulate the clean and
well-ordered Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin which, he said, "are
the city's frontage".

"We won't tolerate any vendors operating along the main
streets in the area. Instead, they can take up space along the
alleys," he said.

He admitted that in some cases, the officers could not
prohibit street vendors from running their businesses because
they were needed by the community as in the case of street
vendors around movie theater Djakarta on Jl. MH Thamrin.

"They provide cheap meals for low-paid employees. That's why
we let them be," he asserted.

The operation is in line with the Central Jakarta
municipality's plan to rearrange the chaotic Senen area.

"Senen is one of the main priority areas for development this
year besides Tanah Abang," said Central Jakarta mayor Muhayat.

The development, Muhayat admitted, would include the planned
relocation of street vendors.

"Of course, I will still give those vendors the opportunity to
run their business in the city. They could, for instance, operate
in certain places only in the evenings or during certain hours.
But, we must ensure that they are under our control and abide by
the existing regulations," he said.

Muhayat vowed to impose sterner sanctions on subdistrict and
district heads who failed to keep their areas in order. The
sanctions include dismissal, he added.

In addition to the area of Senen, the City Public Order Agency
would also prioritize clearing the streets of vendors along the
new busway corridors from Pulogadung in East Jakarta to Harmoni
in Central Jakarta and from Harmoni to Kalideres in West Jakarta.

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I-Box

Proposed budget for City Public Order Agency in 2005

Raids on street vendors Rp 500 million
Raids on thugs, sex workers, beggars Rp 600 million
Monitoring and upholding order along busway corridors Rp 900 million
Drafting standard operating procedure for joint raids Rp 263.478 million
with the police and military
Monitoring rallies, riots, brawls, fires Rp 250 million
Monitoring and taking action against gambling Rp 360 million
Monitoring and operations against illegal production Rp 390 million
and distribution of alcoholic drinks
Monitoring and operations against pornographic material Rp 330 million

Source: 2005 Draft City Budget