Another mega project

Another mega project

For a project this big, it is probably justified to say that
the news of its planned construction has come rather unexpectedly
for most of us, despite the fact that hints, of something rather
big pending, were given by officials late last year.

In September last year the Minister of Transportation,
Haryanto Dhanutirto, announced that the present bus station at
Manggarai in South Jakarta would be expanded into a 72-hectare,
integrated, four-story station serving trains, inter-city buses,
minibuses and taxis.

Although he declined to mention the names of the private
companies which would be involved in the project during its
construction, the minister said a number of companies would form
a consortium for that purpose. Construction was to start this
year and the terminal would begin operating within the first five
years of its 25-year construction period, the minister said.

Haryanto also said no personal property would be appropriated
for the terminal's construction because the land would be taken
from the state-owned railway company Perumka, which, in return,
would get a 100-hectare plot in Karawang, east of Jakarta. This
was a major point, since land appropriation has always been one
of the most difficult problems to settle in urban construction
projects throughout Jakarta. Except for a few minor variations on
the theme, involving, for example, estimated costs, land
appropriation has been the story for the past few months, as far
as most of us know.

Now, according to information provided by a number of top
government officials and private entrepreneurs involved in the
planned project, the Manggarai Integrated Central Transportation
Terminal, as it is officially called, will take 124 hectares
(about 310 acres) of land and cost, approximately, the equivalent
of $285 million.

Instead of a 72-hectare, integrated, four-story station
serving trains, inter-city buses, minibuses and taxis, the
planned project will include a railway station with 22 railway
lines on the ground floor, four underground express railway
lines, an inter-city bus terminal capable of accommodating 3,600
buses a day, a city bus terminal serving 5,760 buses a day, a
taxi terminal, hotels, recreation facilities and shops and
restaurants. It will even have an Islamic cultural center
comprising of a mosque, library, museum, meeting hall, civic
center, parks and a children's playground.

Obviously, much more land will be needed for this project than
can be provided by the state railway company, which only owns 72
hectares of the 124 hectares needed. Hence, Jakarta Governor
Surjadi Soedirdja's call on residents of the area to remain calm.

"I assure you that the consortium in charge of handling the
project's construction will set the compensation in line with the
existing regulations," the governor told the residents'
representatives, who came to ask for greater clarity regarding
the plans.

Governor Surjadi's assurance is certainly welcome in light of
the fact that in so many instances before, disagreement about the
amount of compensation paid has caused friction, which can only
do harm.

From the point of view of urban planning, there is no doubt
that the planned terminal project will benefit Jakarta's millions
of residents and visitors alike. Our only hope is that the job
will be executed without causing too much hardship for the people
who, like it or not, will be affected.