Puring Park Vendors Reject City Plan to Build Disability Park

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - A sharp disconnect has emerged between South Jakarta authorities and local vendors over the future of the historic Puring Park market site. Traders are fiercely rejecting a municipal plan to convert the fire-damaged area into a dedicated park for people with disabilities.

The controversy unfolded on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, when South Jakarta Mayor, M. Anwar, publicly proposed the transformation during an official event, claiming that vendors had already vacated the area voluntarily. However, remaining traders quickly shot down the assertion, stating they were blindsided by the announcement and are still operating on-site under makeshift tents while waiting for a promised marketplace reconstruction.

The friction traces back to a devastating fire on Monday, July 28, 2025, which decimated the legendary market. While the site once housed more than 500 traders, 180 vendors have continued to weather harsh conditions on the ruins for the past nine months, driven by an explicit gubernatorial pledge that the market would be rebuilt.

"I just heard that it's going to be a park for the disabled. We've been really hoping for nine months now, and given the Governor's promise, it will be rebuilt," said Asmun, the coordinator for the Puring Park vendors, as quoted by Antara.

According to Asmun, the traders had cooperated with initial site clearances strictly because they believed a modern market revitalization was underway.

Relying on the Governor's initial commitment, the vendors spent their own funds to erect temporary stalls so they could maintain their livelihoods. They are now urging the adminstration to honor its original framework and preserve Puring Park’s decades-old identity as a legendary commercial hub rather than altering its function.

"We only ask that the initial promise be fulfilled, that this market be revitalized and rebuilt into a market," emphasized Asmun.

This stands in stark contrast to the narrative presented by Mayor Anwar during the inauguration of the Kebayoran Baru Subdistrict Office, the Jagakarsa Retention Basin, and the Pemuda Retention Basin. Addressing the Governor, Anwar requested green-lit permission to repurpose the 3,000-square-meter plot into South Jakarta's premier disability-friendly green space, reporting that site leveling had already commenced following an amicable eviction.

"Mr. Governor, if I'm allowed, I want to build a park for people with disabilities, so that South Jakarta has one. We'll build it there. The vendors, thank God, have moved consciously, dismantled the area themselves. Today, we're starting to distribute it evenly. God willing, we'll restore approximately 3,000 meters of the area to a park," Anwar said in his speech.

The municipality is moving forward with land equalization while the remaining 180 traders stay dug into their makeshift stalls. Consequently, the future of the legendary Puring Park now hinges on whether the provincial administration will uphold its post-fire revitalization promises or back the city's new ecological blueprint. ***