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ity-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya plans to build a hotel above the Blok A Market on Jl. Panglima Polim Raya, South Jakarta, as part of a market-revitalization project expected to kick off late this year.

The project is set to be the first of its kind after Pasar Jaya repeatedly delayed a similar plan to modernize the Benhil traditional market and equip it with a star-rated hotel.

Pasar Jaya president director Djangga Lubis said recently that Blok A Market'€™s poor condition made it no longer suitable for daily market activity.

'€œThe Blok A Market will be revitalized soon and we will also build a hotel there, which is still under discussion,'€ Djangga told The Jakarta Post.

He said while Pasar Jaya had yet to decide if the hotel would be star-rated, he hoped the hotel would be decent enough given its strategic South Jakarta location.

'€œWe have never had a hotel built on a traditional market. It will be the first in the city,'€ he said.

Sitting on over 4,093 square meters of land, the Blok A Market currently has 686 kiosks and stalls, 92 percent of which are occupied, as well as 67 street vendors. Established in 1971, the market suffers from a leaky roof and rusty steel frames.

Djangga said he was confident the upcoming renovations, expected to finish in two years, would spur new business prospects in the area, especially because of its integration with the elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system.

MRT construction is already underway and is scheduled finish in 2018. The first phase of the MRT project will connect Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta with the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta. In total, the MRT will have 13 elevated and underground stations, including one that will be integrated with the Blok A Market.

Djangga said market vendors would be moved to a temporary place in July during the construction period.

'€œWe have prepared a place for registered vendors in Sambas Park, which is located not far from the traditional market,'€ he said.

Under the revitalization program, the first floor of the market will be dedicated for apparel, the second floor for fish, meat and vegetables and the third floor for office management.

Narni, who has sold fruit at the market for more than 30 years, said she was worried she would not secure a space at the temporary market, as she was not a registered seller.

'€œI only pay Rp 6,000 [38 US cents] per day for fees and security costs, so I don'€™t think I will get a place at Sambas Park. I hope we can stay in the market, though,'€ she said.

Another vendor, Novi, 32, said she was considering relocating her clothing business to another site as soon as the relocation process began.

She said the MRT construction that started two months ago had negatively affected her business, and that moving to Sambas Park was unlikely to help matters.

'€œMy profits have started to slump. I think I have to find a new place,'€ she said.