Street vendors mushrooming in Ramadhan

Street vendors (left photo) almost totally cover a street near Tanah Abang textile and garment market in Central Jakarta, causing horrendous traffic jams in the area.

The number of street vendors in the area is increasing drastically, especially during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan, a peak season for garment traders.

Street vendors are now free to operate as the city administration finally bowed to pressure to temporarily stop the crackdown against vendors.

The city administration has promised to stop conducting raids on street vendors during Ramadhan although they do business on almost all streets in the city and disturb traffic flow.

After the Public Order Office stopped its raids against street vendors, the city cooperatives and small enterprises agency said on Tuesday that the city administration planned to give a legal status to some 600,000 street vendors in the capital.

The administration will submit a draft bylaw to the city's legislative body to collect a daily fee from street vendors at between Rp 800 and Rp 1,000 per vendor per day, starting next year.