Sidewalk vendors crowd Blok M shopping area
Sidewalk vendors crowd Blok M shopping area
JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of street vendors are indiscriminately operating along alleyways and roads at the Blok M shopping area, regardless of the prohibition from the South Jakarta mayoralty.
Many operations have been conducted by the mayoralty to drive the vendors away because their operations cause chaotic conditions in the area.
The street vendors are causing obstructions because they dominate the sidewalks and parking lots in the complex, forcing pedestrians and cars to share the crowded roads.
South Jakarta Mayoralty spokesman M. Yanis told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that the increasing number of vendors in the area is caused mainly by the limited number of similar operations against them because most law and order officers of the mayoralty are currently deployed in the Pasar Minggu area.
The deployment of officers to Pasar Minggu is intended mainly to help secure the area, which is also full of illegal vendors, he said, adding that the mayoralty is conducting a beautification project there.
Yanis explained that under the beautification project in Pasar Minggu, all traders operating along road sides in the area are required to operated only inside the market area.
"All officers are there to prevent street vendors from going back to their previous locations," he said.
He explained that the beautification project in Pasar Minggu involves the cooperation of various offices, including city parks and city public works as well as the city land transportation control agency under the coordination of the city administration.
The project includes the construction of new parks, sidewalks and outdoor advertising facilities.
"The city office of public works has just completed the repairs of the water ducts and roads near Pasar Minggu bus terminal," Yanis said.
The project is fully financed by the city administration, he said, but did not give details.
"We are not ignoring the situation in Blok M. We will regulate vendors in the area as soon as our operation in Pasar Minggu is completed," Yanis said.
The vendors, who sell various merchandises ranging from bags and clothes, to a wide variety of fruits, acknowledged that the mayoralty has not been launching operations, to chase them away from the location, over the last few months.
Rizal, a sock trader, told the Post that previously the mayoralty used to deploy officers to arrest the vendors in the area and confiscate their merchandise.
Yanis stressed that the mayoralty will not hesitate to take stern measure against those found guilty of violating the mayoralty's regulations. (yns)