Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan inaugurated on Tuesday the completion of the Kramat Jati wholesale market revitalization project in East Jakarta, which had been running since 2015.

During the ceremony, Anies said the revitalization was aimed at improving the traditional market’s image to attract more people to shop there.

“Traditional markets have their own charm. They sell everything that people need, they are usually situated near residential areas and shoppers can bargain on the prices,” he said as reported by the city’s official website, ppid.jakarta.go.id.

“A clean market with decent toilets can give more comfort for both shoppers and sellers,” he added.

The revitalization project on the 18-hectare market, Anies said, was considered a heavy job since the city needed to add many public facilities along with repairs to many of the market’s elements.

PD Pasar Jaya executive director Arief Nasrudin said the renovation project took around Rp 27.1 billion (US$1.86 million), “because we not only revitalized the market but also the parking lot”.

The city installed fire hydrants and reinstalled the market’s plumbing and electrical systems. It also repaired the market’s connecting bridge and ceilings as well as repainted the walls. Some toilets, a mosque and security posts were also built.

The market has 1,800 lots for tenants to sell their goods. (vla)