TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Nearly 200 street vendors relocated for construction of Bogor town square
Change Size
Street vendors go about their business on Jl. Sunan Ampel in Melawai, South Jakarta, on Feb. 27. (kompas.com/Nursita Sari)
T
he city administration of Bogor in West Java has relocated about 200 street vendors from Jl. Dewi Sartika to develop the town square and revitalize Bogor’s Grand Mosque.
Bogor Deputy Mayor Dedie A. Rachim said the Bogor Cooperatives and Small-Medium Business Agency and the Public Order Agency had conducted mediation efforts before issuing three warning letters to the vendors ahead of their relocation.
“We have carried out effective communication with the street vendors represented by the heads of the merchant groups to reach an agreement on relocating them to other places,” Dedie said on Tuesday.
“Most of them are sellers of construction tools, flowers or footwear. This is a cooperative program between the city administration and the traders to jointly organize the city of Bogor.”
Construction on the town square is set to start next year, supported by around Rp 15 billion (US$1.06 million) in financial assistance from the West Java provincial administration.
The project marks the end of a 30-year contract between the Bogor administration and PT Eksotika, a company that manages tourist park Taman Topi in Bogor, which will also be developed by the city next year.
“With the collaboration having ended, we will revitalize the whole area from Kebon Kembang and Taman Topi to the Bogor Grand Mosque,” said Dedie. “After cleaning up all the sidewalks, we will improve nearby drainage systems, which have become [clogged] with trash over the decades.”
Meanwhile, Bogor Cooperatives and Small-Medium Business Agency head Anas Rasmana said that, after clearing the area of street vendors, the city administration had offered the street vendors a range of options for more feasible locations.
“We have offered them to get proper locations in Blocks A to D at Kebon Kembang Market. There are also other options, such as on Jl. Nyi Raja Permas and at Merdeka Market,” said Anas, adding that the city would also distribute business loans under the Kredit Usaha Rakyat (KUR) program.
He said that, while waiting for the KUR to be taken care of next year, the vendors were allowed to occupy the relocation sites and that they had been given a guarantee of Rp 500,000 each for initial capital of their businesses.
Umang, a relocated street vendor who had run a shoe stall on the sidewalk of Jl. Dewi Sartika for 10 years, said he had refused to move even though his stall had been demolished.
He reasoned that, if he moved to Kebon Kembang Market, it would cost him a lot to rent a shop, unlike on the sidewalk, where he was able to use a spot for free.
Responding to the development plan, culturist and head of the Sindangbarang Kampung Budaya (Cultural Village) in Bogor, Maki Sumawijaya, said a good city layout required a proper town square.
“If we pay attention, almost every city in Java has its own town square. That is because every kingdom in the past designed and built not only an open square but also a closed one,” said Maki.
Maki added that a square was an important part of a city, which, aside from being a green open space, often served as a place of interaction between residents and city leaders during important events.
Meanwhile, Ria, a 36-year-old housewife living in Cimanggu, Bogor, said she agreed with the development plan, because not only would a town square benefit the residents as a place for big celebrations held by the local government, but it could also be a safe play area for children.
Ria added that the city’s gesture to move street vendors off the sidewalks would also make it more comfortable for pedestrians to walk along the streets. (syk)
