City likely to up budget to Rp 17t for next year<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Jakarta administration is likely to propose Rp 17 trillion
\nfor next year's budget, or an 18 percent increase from the
\ncurrent 2005 budget of Rp 14.3 trillion.<\/p>\n
The administration has prioritized several projects, like the
\ndevelopment of the busway's new corridors and the East Flood
\nCanal in the new budget, while paying greater attention to the
\nwelfare of teachers, civil servants and the incentives for heads
\nof neighborhood units and community units as well.<\/p>\n
\"We will continue to finalize some priority projects, like the
\nbusway and East Flood Canal next year,\" Deputy Governor Fauzi
\nBowo said at City Hall after a closed-door presentation by City
\nPlanning Agency head Achmad Hariadi.<\/p>\n
Fauzi said his administration proposed the allocation of Rp
\n800 billion to develop four more busway corridors in addition to
\nthe existing route and two routes that are slated to become
\noperational by the end of this year.<\/p>\n
This year, the administration has earmarked about Rp 500
\nbillion to complete the two corridors connecting Pulogadung in
\nEast Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta and from Harmoni to
\nKalideres in West Jakarta. The first busway stretching from Blok
\nM in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta that has been
\noperational since January last year cost about Rp 240 billion.<\/p>\n
For the East Flood Canal project, which is meant to mitigate
\nflooding in the eastern part of the city, the administration will
\nprovide Rp 400 billion, or the same as this year's allocation,
\nmainly for land acquisition.<\/p>\n
The canal project that is estimated to cost Rp 5 trillion has
\nbeen bogged down amid strong opposition by land owners to the
\nproject. The land owners are demanding higher compensation than
\nthe administration can afford.<\/p>\n
Aside from those priority projects, the administration will
\ndouble the fund for the poor to Rp 200 billion next year from Rp
\n100 billion this year.<\/p>\n
According to Fauzi, the preparation of the draft 2006 city
\nbudget by City Planning Agency (Bapeda) is expected to be
\ncompleted within two weeks so that it could submit it to the City
\nCouncil for deliberation.<\/p>\n
Fauzi also said that his administration planned to raise the
\nliving allowance for teachers and civil servants to Rp 2 million
\nfrom the current Rp 1 million and Rp 1.7 million from Rp 750,000
\ncurrently respectively in addition to the basic salary.<\/p>\n
\"As part of efforts to uphold security in the smallest
\ncommunity unit here, we will also increase incentives given to
\nheads of neighborhood units and community units so that they will
\nbe more motivated to secure their respective communities,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The administration has been facing serious problems to
\neffectively involve those heads in its war against terrorism. In
\nthe past five years, Jakarta has seen a string of bomb attacks,
\nfor which police believe terrorists use rented houses as a
\nhideout to prepare the attacks.<\/p>\n
The bomb attack on the Australian Embassy in Kuningan in South
\nJakarta in September last year claimed nine lives and injured
\nhundreds of others.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Police have called on the public to stay vigilant in
\ncase of another bomb attack despite the death of terrorist
\nAzahari bin Husin in Batu, Malang in East Java last week, saying
\nthat some terror suspects were still at large.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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