Merchants On The Sidewalk Of Kalibaru, Central Jakarta, Claim To Have Paid Dues To The Village Office To Get A Sales Permit

Merchants on the sidewalks of Kalibaru, Central Jakarta claim to have obtained permission from the local Village Office/Photo: SPC

JAKARTA - Dozens of merchants along Kalibaru Timur Street, Pasar Nangka, Utan Panjang residence, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, are desperate to occupy the pedestrian street. In fact, the special pedestrian path for pedestrians and people with disabilities is also blocked by the presence of merchant carts.

Manurung (56), one of the pedestrians, was surprised that there were rows of merchants selling basic necessities on the sidewalk. So that pedestrians actually cross the shoulder of the public transportation road.

"That's clear for pedestrians, moreover there is a guiding block for people with disabilities or guide roads which are facilities for people with disabilities but instead are used for trading," he said at the location, Tuesday, March 29, morning.

In the same place, one of the merchants with the initials JR admitted that he could trade in this location after getting permission from the Utan Panjang Village merchants who are only 2 years old can trade on a pedestrian that is intended for pedestrians.

"Yes, we know that we are here for pedestrians, but we can get permission from the urban village. After all, pedestrians can walk on the main road," said JR, one of the merchants.

JR explained that each trader is charged IDR 15,000 per day as security and cleanliness money. All the money was collected by the Jackfruit Bungur market officer.

"Security is IDR 10 thousand, cleanliness is IDR 5 thousand for one trader. We must pay it every day if we want to trade here," he explained.

Confirmed by a separate VOI, Utan Panjang Village Head, Amadeo said that his staff had never given any permission to merchants to sell on pedestrians.

"There are 100 merchants who sell there. We have never given a permit at all and there has never been a meeting with merchants regarding the permit to trade there," said Amadeo.

Amadeo admitted that the large number of merchants selling on the sidewalk of Jalan Kalibaru Timur, precisely in front of the Nangka Utan Panjang Market, was the impact of the wave of layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There were new merchants (selling) during the COVID-19 period, because of the continued reduction in (their) trade," he admitted.

Furthermore, Amadeo said that merchants selling on social facilities (fasos) and public facilities (fasum) should not be given permission. Even the merchants previously closed the road in front of the Jackfruit Market.

"Essentially, we didn't give permission because of social and public relations. We can't give permission," he said.

Meanwhile, regarding control, Amadeo was unable to do so because Utan Panjang Village has limited Satpol PP personnel.

"The village Satpol PP is only 6 people, it's not enough to control it," he said.