City Hall won't widen Jl. M.H. Thamrin sidewalk

JAKARTA (JP): The sidewalk along Jl. M.H. Thamrin will not be widened by eight meters despite newspaper reports to the contrary.

Prawoto S. Danoemihardjo, the assistant to the secretary of development affairs, said Thursday the city was not planning to widen the sidewalks or had it received such a plan.

On the newspaper reports, Prawoto said: "As far as I know, the administration is planning to demolish fences separating high- rise buildings along the city's main thoroughfares to create a friendlier atmosphere among the buildings. Not to widen the sidewalks on Jl. M.H. Thamrin by eight meters on each side.

"Whose idea is it? Where does the plan come from?" he asked.

He said it seemed impossible to widen the three-to-three-and-a-half meter sidewalk on Jl. M.H. Thamrin to eight meters.

"What would happen to the buildings, which stand close to the street, such as the Bank Jaya building? It would be very difficult to move it," Prawoto said.

Prawoto said the municipality was planning to demolish fences between the buildings and walls between building compounds and sidewalks to make walking there easier.

The Kompas daily was the first to mention the sidewalk- widening plan on March 25. It reported that the widening of sidewalks by eight meters and demolition of fences and walls would start this year.

According to the daily, the widening of the sidewalks has obsessed Governor Surjadi Soedirdja. An architect then told the daily about his idea to support the governor's idea.

The report said that Central Jakarta Mayor Abdul Kahfi would meet building owners by the end of March to explain the plan.

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Building owners say they have heard nothing from the city on the plan.

The head of PT Sarinah Jaya's public division, Soetarto, said his office had not yet received any information on the rumored sidewalk-widening project or the plan to demolish fences.

Soetarto said it would be hard to widen the sidewalk because of the existing underground utilities, such as electricity, telephone cable ducts, gas and water pipes.

"There are many underground utilities under the sidewalk in front of McDonald's restaurant," he said.

But he said that Sarinah accepted the plan to demolish fences between building compounds, neighboring buildings and sidewalks.

"We have planted trees to separate our building from other buildings," he said.

Satria Wira, the communication director at the Sari Pan Pacific hotel on Jl. M.H. Thamrin, said the hotel had received no official word on the plan.

"I know about the plan from newspapers. The plan was not clear. Just wait and see if the municipality will go ahead with it," Satria said.

He said the hotel would comply with the plan so long as it appeared in written regulations.

"Our sidewalk is already wide. But, we would agree as long as there was a clear arrangement on the building's rights, security and maintenance," Satria said.

The city has started new sidewalk projects in less crowded areas such as a new shopping area in Kuningan, South Jakarta, Jl. Kyai Tapa, West Jakarta and Jl. Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta. The sidewalks there have good bus stops, benches and lighting.

The deputy governor of economic and development affairs, Tb.M. Rais, has confirmed that the city will not widen Jl. M.H. Thamrin's sidewalks to eight meters.

"The current sidewalks are wide enough. We only plan to demolish fences and walls. The main idea is to connect one building with another," Rais said Tuesday.

"I hope the plan can start this year," Rais said. He refused to say how much the project would cost. (ste)