Bekasi to develop bay area into industrial port town

Wahyuana, Bekasi

The Bekasi regency administration plans to build a new residential and industrial zone, to be called Kota Teluk Jakarta, or Jakarta Bay Town, in north Bekasi.

Regent Saleh Manaf said over the weekend his administration had hired a consultant from the Netherlands, the Dutch Environment Technology Consultant (Detec), to conduct a feasibility study for the project.

Detec was also involved in the plan to develop the Sunda Kelapa Port in North Jakarta from 1996 to 1997.

The planned residential and industrial zone would occupy a total of 30,000 hectares of land stretching across four districts: Tarumajaya, Babelan, Muara Gembong and South Tambun.

Of this 30,000 hectares, some 10,000 hectares would occupy the protected forest near Pantai Sederhana village in Muara Gembong. The forest is managed by the Ministry of Forestry but large areas s of it have been taken over for shrimp ponds and residential areas.

Saleh said the new area would feature 25,000 hectares for housing and a new port, with the remaining 5,000 hectares being used as an industrial zone. The new town would also have maritime recreational sites and a 200-hectare forest for tourists.

The new port would be expected to help transport oil produced by state oil and gas company Pertamina at the Babelan oil field. The field, located 25 kilometers north of Bekasi and 40 kilometers northeast of Jakarta, has estimated reserves of 424 million barrels of oil and 3.34 trillion cubic feet of gas.

The location of the planned town is extremely strategic, near the border between Jakarta and Bekasi close to Tanjung Priok Port. The area is also located near the estuary of the Bekasi River.

This area served as a port in the seventh century. During the Tarumanegara kingdom in the fifth century, the river was used as a means of transportation and there are numerous historical sites in the Muara Gembong and Tarumajaya districts.

The planned town, which will be financed by the 2005 regency budget, however, has not been warmly welcomed by all residents.

A local leader in Bekasi, Abid Marzuki, said the project would create job opportunities for residents, but the regent should also consider the social and environmental impact of the industrial zone.

"Bekasi does not need more industrial zones. The existing ones are enough to provide jobs to people in the surrounding areas. What is more important is for the government to provide the people with the proper skills and education before setting up a new industrial zone. So when the zone is ready, they will also be ready for work," he said.