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treet vendors welcome the city administration’s relocation plan on the condition that the new places are in lucrative areas.

Hasli Hasanuddin, 58, a soft drink and cigarette vendor along the bustling thoroughfare of Jl. Jendral Sudirman, Central Jakarta, acknowledged that street vending without a permit was illegal and that the plan to move street vendors to traditional markets or other business areas sounded promising.

“But, I want new place in a busy area so I won’t worry about losing customers. I have to feed my family,” said the retired security guard, who started selling on the street three years ago.

Vivin, 20, who sells soto ayam (chicken soup) and ketoprak (rice noodles and tofu in peanut sauce) out of a cart next to Hasli, agreed.

“I actually don’t mind relocation as long the place is strategic for business,” Vivin said.

She explained that the business, which her mother started in the early 1990s, had once been relocated to a canteen in a nearby office. With competitors selling similar menu items and a lack of people passing by, the new venue did not generate enough revenue and they decided to head back to their old spot after four years.

The experience made her reluctant to leave her lucrative corner, where she reaps a gross profit of
Rp 500,000 (US$52) a day. She only has to pay Rp 150,000 a month to thugs who provide “security” in the area.

“We also have loyal customers, from office workers around here to students from Atmajaya University next door. Moving means starting all over again,” she said.

Talitha, 19, one of the students, said that she would miss the vendors if they were relocated.

“The vendors are probably an eyesore for the city and they do litter, but without them, I would have no alternatives to my campus’ canteen food,” she said.

Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaya Purnama made the relocation of street vendors a top priority, offering incentives such as free kiosk rent and utility bills at designated markets for the first six months.

City market operator PD Pasar Jaya spokesman Agus Lamun said on Wednesday that his company would exempt the vendors from paying rent for the first six months, which was open for extension, as long as the vendors did not return to the street.

A kiosk at a traditional market costs between Rp 10 million and Rp 68 million per square meter for a 20-year lease, depending on the market.

Ahok acknowledged that street vendors often refused to be relocated because they were given inappropriate places to do their business.

“Starting from now, we will try to provide them with better places,” he said Monday.

Ahok said as there were only 15,875 empty kiosks in the city’s traditional markets for the relocation of 300,000 street vendors citywide, the administration would also resort to moving vendors to malls, schools and office buildings.

An official from the company managing the Plaza Asia building in Sudirman, Asep Hartono, said that he could not comment about the relocation plan as his office had yet to discuss the issue.

“But personally, I think it will be nice if street vendors near our office were relocated because they spoil the view around here. Moving them to our building might be no problem, as long as there are vacant places available,” he said. (aml)