Tanah Abang vendors resell new kiosks
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.