Traders question slow pace of Ciputat market construction
Traders question slow pace of Ciputat market construction
Text and photos by Johansyah
TANGERANG (JP): Traders from Ciputat market, which was
destroyed by fire in 1994, are hoping the market can be completed
as quickly as possible.
But for the past month hardly any construction has been
visible, although the reconstruction is scheduled for completion
this year.
"If this goes on I am sure the site around the market here
will become worse," Rahman, a trader, said.
"There have been three developers but none of them have
completed their jobs," he added.
The last developer is PT Betania Multi Sarana.
Some of the 350 traders said revenues have dropped by half due
to competition from traders along Jl. Dewi Sartika and other
streets nearby.
Buyung, who operates in a temporary shelter, said he used to
sell up to 70 chickens a day, but now he finds it difficult to
sell even half as many.
"Traders don't like to operate here because the kiosks are
only makeshift places with narrow alleys, which makes shopping
difficult," Buyung said.
The market traders have been provided temporary shelters by
the district office, but the kiosks are located in a muddy area.
The hundreds of kiosks are now used as garbage dumps, one
trader said.
Shoppers prefer to buy from the roadside traders. The former
market traders charge that officials are deliberately turning a
blind eye to the congestion caused by the vendors.
Buyung, a chicken trader, accused officers of demanding bribes
from the roadside vendors, citing information that the strategic
sites were "sold" for up to Rp 600,000 (US$255.10).
Police officers say they are tired of removing the roadside
traders.
"We move them on at 4 a.m. and they appear again an hour or so
later," a police officer said.
Since the vendors came to the area, congestion has started at
3 a.m., running until 11 a.m.
The vendors themselves complain that they are hit with clean-
up charges by officials, "but no one is picking up the trash,".
Garbage dumps stretch from the Jl. Dewi Sartika to nearby Jl.
Ariaputra.
Gutters are clogged up by garbage, and there is a used tire in
front of an electronics store.
The neglected market, the congestion and the garbage are among
the reasons why residents still complain that the Ciputat
district which borders South Jakarta and Tangerang, is like a
neglected stepchild of the Tangerang regency.
Large potholes slow down traffic although Jalan Ariaputra,
which leads to several housing complexes, has been repaired.
The area around the former market, located on the same road as
a bus terminal, has been a source of congestion for years.
Since the fire, a new terminal has been planned further south
in Pondok Cabe to ease traffic in the area.