Tanah Abang vendors resell new kiosks

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Vendors in Tanah Abang market, Central Jakarta, have a new business: illegally selling their new temporary stalls at the nearby Kebon Jati market.

"I have four stalls and two of my friends have three each," a vendor who identified himself as Sahroni, 45, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, while offering one of his stalls to interested buyers.

He said he was able to obtain four stalls by using the names of his wife and children.

"We are only eligible for one stall, but you can register under other names if you want more," he said.

Sahroni was selling his stalls for between Rp 5 million (US$555) and Rp 15 million each, depending on their location. This does not include the official price of Rp 15 million set by city-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya.

On Nov. 13, public order officers removed about 2,000 stalls owned by street vendors along Jl. Kebon Jati and relocated them to the second and third floors of Kebon Jati market.

Not all of the street vendors, however, were able to be relocated to the four-story market because PD Pasar Jaya only provided 1,257 stalls.

The city administration installed fences along Jl. Kebon Jati on Wednesday to prevent street vendors from returning to the area.

PD Pasar Jaya director Prabowo Soenirman said earlier the price of stalls at Kebon Jati market would be Rp 4 million. But according to several vendors Rp 4 million is only the down payment, with the remaining Rp 11 million to be paid in installments within three years.

Sahroni said vendors could not transfer ownership of their stalls until they had paid the entire Rp 15 million.

PD Pasar Jaya is relocating the Tanah Abang vendors because the market building is to be demolished in January and replaced with a modern shopping center.

Vendors strongly opposed the plan, fearing they will not be able to afford locations in the new Tanah Abang shopping center.

PD Pasar Jaya plans to build about 3,000 temporary kiosks along the recently cleared Jl. Kebon Jati to accommodate traders from blocks B, C, D and E of Tanah Abang market, the largest textile center in Southeast Asia.

The administration decided to demolish Tanah Abang after a study by the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) found the 30- year old building was not structurally sound.

Vendors planned to commission a second study on the structural soundness of the building, but Prabowo said it would not affect the administration's plan to demolish the market.

The City Council has established a committee to look into the administration's decision to demolish the market.