Vendors and agency reach deal

Vendors and agency reach deal

JAKARTA,(JP): The vendors in Kebon Jati market, Tanah Abang,
and city-owned market agency PD Pasar Jaya finally agreed on
Friday to choose the derelict Surya cinema as a temporary
location for their small businesses.

Heri, the secretary of the vendors' association of Kebon Jati
market, said the cinema was more suitable than the area outside
the Tanah Abang railway station previously proposed by Pasar
Jaya.

Speaking after a hearing with the City Council's Commission B
for economic affairs, Heri said they refused to be moved to the
station because it was too far and was devoid of customers.

PD Pasar Jaya had planned to renovate the Kebon Jati market
and temporarily move the vendors to the station. But the vendors
rejected the idea and brought their protests to the City Council.

Currently, the vendors occupy 626 kiosks in Kebon Jati market,
while the planned renovated-market will only provide 108 kiosks
for the small businesses, sparking a fear that many of them will
not be able to have kiosks there.

"We hope PD Pasar Jaya will prioritize us for the new kiosks
there," Heri remarked.

In response, the managing director of PD Pasar Jaya, Syahril
Tanjung, assured the vendors that they would be able to continue
their businesses in the renovated Kebon Jati market.

However, a problem over the price of the kiosks is still
lingering. PD Pasar Jaya is demanding a price of Rp 5 million
(US$526.3) per meter square. The vendors, however, have rejected
this, saying they could not afford it.

"It has been calculated. And the vendors can buy the kiosks by
a loan facility over a period of up to five years," Syahril
explained.

Both sides would continue the talks next Monday.

Meanwhile, the head of City Council's Commission B, Syarif
Zulkarnaen, said the vendors should come to the councillors
should the negotiations become deadlocked. (07/04)