City to build new bus terminal

JAKARTA: The city administration will start the building of the Pulo Gebang bus terminal in 2004 after completing the clearance of a total of 10.9 hectares of land, an official said on Thursday.

"From the whole area needed for the construction, only 1.9 hectares of land have not yet been released by their owners," Lukman Hakim, the senior official at the East Jakarta mayoralty administration, was quoted by Tempo News Room as saying.

He said the budget of Rp 13 billion (US$1.56 million) has been alloted for the project, adding that the money was enough to buy land for the bus terminal construction.

The residents were offered compensation of between Rp 360,000 and Rp 464,000 per square meter for their land.

"The offered compensation similar to market prices of land there. But the residents asked for higher prices, so we will negotiate this matter later this month," Lukman said.

The bus terminal is designed to replace the Pulo Gadung bus terminal, which can no longer accommodate all buses and other public transportation vehicles. --JP