Tanah Abang market to be demolished in January 2005

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration is set to demolish four blocks of the Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta in January, in preparation for the rebuilding of the largest textile market in Southeast Asia as a grand shopping mall.

Prabowo Soenirman, president director of city-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya, said that the traders would be temporarily moved to two nearby markets during the construction period.

"It is final. The demolition will begin in late January," he told The Jakarta Post by phone on Friday.

The project itself has met strong opposition from 4,000 traders in the market who fear they will lose their place of business.

The traders suspected that the demolition would essentially cause their eviction from the market since they could not afford the new kiosks, which have been offered for between Rp 20 million (US$2,198) and Rp 200 million per square meter, depending on their location. Kiosks on lower floors are usually more expensive.

Earlier on Friday, about 200 traders staged a rally outside the City Council, demanding that the councillors stop the demolition plan.

The traders suspect that the market operator will raise the rent in the new building, as it had changed its initial decision to allow the traders to stay on in the old buildings as the initial plan did not involve demolishing the buildings.

Part of the four blocks -- B, C, D and E -- were badly damaged by fire in February 2002.

The traders' spokesman, Sofjan Mashud, said Prabowo had confused the traders because although he had allowed them to seek a second opinion on the demolition plan, he said later that whatever the result was it would not affect the plan.

The plan was made based on a study carried out by the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), which indicated that the four blocks built in the 1970s were no longer sturdy enough to support daily market activities and could collapse at any time.

Both Prabowo and the traders agreed to appoint the University of Indonesia to conduct a study, the result of which was to be used as input in the city administration's decision.

"If the city administration has chosen to ignore a second opinion, why did PD Pasar Jaya agree to appoint UI to conduct the research?" Sofyan added.

Chairman of City Council Commission D for development affairs Sayogo Hendrosubroto promised the traders that the commission would meet with Prabowo to seek a solution.