Vendors attack Jasa Marga officers
Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor
Dozens of vendors pelted PT Jasa Marga Jagorawi toll road officers with stones and chased after them with machetes and sticks on Sunday at about 4 p.m. at the South Sentul entrance ramp.
The vendors had been standing on the side of the road selling durian when patrolling officers told them they should not be there because motorists were not allowed to stop on the shoulder of the toll road unless it was an emergency.
"We have been selling durian on the toll road for ages, so why have the officers just banned motorists from stopping there now?" Kusnan, 39, complained.
The number of vendors operating in the Sentul area on holidays can reach 100, while about 70 operate on weekdays.
The head of PT Jasa Marga Jagorawi toll road, Subakti Syukur, said the company had launched an operation banning motorists from buying from vendors in the emergency lane since Saturday.
The chief of toll road patrol, Comr. Rahmadi, said patrolling police would ticket motorists stopping on the shoulder of the road, which is in violation of Article 61(1) of the Traffic Law.
Some 120 policemen from Bogor Police were deployed to handle the clash. Upon seeing the officers, the vendors fled from the scene. Nobody was arrested.
PT Jasa Marga plans to set up stalls along a 1.2-kilometer stretch to accommodate vendors on the left and right side of the toll road in Sentul, Bogor.
"We have allocated Rp 3 billion (US$352,941) for the construction of the stalls and for building canals along the road from Taman Mini to Cibubur in East Jakarta. The proposal for the canal construction was just submitted to the central office," Subakti said.
The PT Jasa Marga Jagorawi office has also allocated Rp 35 million per month to assist the communities living along the toll road.
"The funds have been used by locals to finance religious and educational activities. There's also a fund for small-scale enterprises and cooperatives for locals," he said.
The Jagorawi operator earns around Rp 500 million from over 300,000 vehicles that use the toll road every day. Some 60 percent of the revenue is used to cover operational costs.