Bapenda Building Fire Disrupts Jakarta Traffic Control Operations

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has confirmed that the fire which struck the Jakarta Regional Revenue Agency (Bapenda) building directly impacted the operations of the Transportation Agency’s command centre on the 16th floor. The vital facility has been responsible for automatically monitoring and managing Jakarta’s transport, including the movement of VVIP guest vehicles. As a precautionary measure, the Jakarta Provincial Government has prepared a backup system to ensure traffic management continues. Pramono has approved the activation of the Data and Information Centre (Pusdatin) located in MT Haryono as a temporary control centre. “Yesterday, when the incident occurred, I coordinated with the Head of the Transportation Agency and I ultimately approved the Pusdatin in MT Haryono to serve as the backup to run operations,” Pramono stated in the Kuningan area, South Jakarta, on Sunday (9/8). Pramono explained that disruption to the main facility could potentially affect the regulation of traffic lights at several intersections normally controlled remotely. During the recovery period, the transport management system will not be fully integrated as it is under normal conditions. To mitigate obstacles on the ground, the Jakarta Provincial Government will strengthen the deployment of Transportation Agency personnel at crucial points. Officers will be assigned to manually direct traffic at intersections requiring direct intervention to maintain the smooth flow of public mobility. The repair and recovery process for the system in the Bapenda building is estimated to take up to one month. “Hopefully, everything will be completed within a maximum of one month,” Pramono added. Through this backup scheme and the readiness of field personnel, the Jakarta Provincial Government hopes to minimise disruption to traffic flow in the capital as much as possible during the technological transition period.