Sutiyoso wants vehicles here to use CNG<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said on Wednesday that all vehicles
\noperating in the city should switch to compressed natural gas
\n(CNG) instead of gasoline, in a bid to help reduce air pollution
\nin the city.<\/p>\n
Speaking after attending the deliberation of the draft bylaw
\non air pollution control, Sutiyoso said that public transport and
\nofficial vehicles belonging to the administration, central
\ngovernment and the military would be among the first subjected to
\nthe ruling.<\/p>\n
\"We will set an example by using gas fuel in the new busway
\nproject. In the future, all public transportation vehicles and
\nother kinds of vehicles will be required to use gas fuel,\"
\nSutiyoso told reporters at City Hall after a hearing with the
\nCity Council to discuss draft bylaws on air pollution and
\ninvestment.<\/p>\n
\"However, we have to ensure that the supply of gas fuel must
\nbe continuous, easy to obtain and cheap,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The city has at least 11 stations selling CNG, but only three
\nof them are operational due to low demand.<\/p>\n
Several factions in the City Council shared a similar view
\nwith Sutiyoso over the urgency of the use of CNG to help reduce
\nair pollution in the city.<\/p>\n
\"We deem it paramount important to oblige the use of gas fuel
\nfor vehicles operating in the city, especially public
\ntransportation vehicles. Consequently, every gasoline station
\nmust also sell gas fuel,\" said Marthin Octavianus Makatita of the
\nGolkar Party faction.<\/p>\n
Marthin lambasted that the administration had turned a blind
\neye to the fact that many public transport and taxi operators
\nmaintained their old fleets, simply ignoring that their vehicles'
\nhigh emissions contributed to the air pollution in the capital.<\/p>\n
\"The draft bylaw should be able to control all vehicles,
\nespecially public transport vehicles, which are not roadworthy or
\nproduce high emissions,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Denny Talloga of the Democratic Party faction asserted that
\nthe draft bylaw should consider imposing restriction to old
\nvehicles from entering city roads.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Wahid Supandi DS of the Indonesian Democratic Party
\nof Struggle faction said that the draft bylaw was \"too lenient\"
\nto violators.<\/p>\n
According to Fathi R Shidiq of the party alliance of Reform
\nAwakening faction, the sanctions imposed on polluters as
\nstipulated in the draft bylaw was too lenient.<\/p>\n
\"The sanctions must vary. The draft bylaw must impose a
\ndifferent standard of sanctions to individual violators and
\ncapital intensive institution violators, for instance,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The draft bylaw seeks a maximum of six months' imprisonment
\nand fines of up to Rp 5 million (US$550) to polluters.<\/p>\n
Air pollution in the city has reached an alarming level.
\nAccording to city officials, the air in Jakarta was clean for
\njust 51 days in the first eight months of 2004.<\/p>\n
Vehicular emissions bear the brunt of 70 percent of air
\npollutants, leaving industrial emissions accounting for the
\nremaining 30 percent.<\/p>\n
City Transportation Agency head Rustam Effendi Sidabutar said
\nprivate company PT Mahanaim, through its subsidiary PT Lintas
\nMaju Bersama, has committed to invest Rp 27.6 billion (US$3.07
\nmillion) for the supply of CNG in the new busway project.<\/p>\n
PT Mahanaim will adopt Argentine-based technology, Galileo, to
\nupgrade CNG pressure from the current level of between seven bars
\nand nine bars up to 250 bars.<\/p>\n
\"But, we are still waiting for private parties interested in
\nthe project to invest in it,\" Rustam said.<\/p>",
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