City urged to find new developers for terminal

JAKARTA (JP): City Councilors urged the municipality yesterday to hand over the Pulogebang Bus Terminal project to bigger companies, which have more funds, to speed up its completion.

Rusjdi Hamka, a City Council speaker, said the municipality should not depend on a development firm which could not guarantee the project's realization, especially during the financial crisis.

Rusjdi made the remarks in response to the slow development of the new bus terminal -- which should have been under construction since 1987 -- to replace the crowded terminal in Pulogadung. Both are located in East Jakarta.

"If the developer finds it too difficult to finance the project, especially because of the monetary crisis, then I suggest that the administration had better find other developers which are capable of financing the project."

Ali Wongso HS, head of Commission D for development affairs, said the administration, which signed a memorandum of understanding on the project with private developer PT Rodial Eron in 1987, could offer the project to other firms because there had been no progress.

Ali said the administration could also offer the same cooperation scheme, in which the developers were given the right to acquire the Pulogadung terminal site in exchange for building the Pulogebang terminal, or other schemes, including the build- operate-transfer system.

East Jakarta Mayor Sudarsono said Wednesday that the developer would likely start construction of the first stage of the proposed three-story Pulogebang terminal later this year so that it could be utilized during next year's Moslem Idul Fitri holiday.

He said Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso had given his approval for the development of the proposed three-story terminal to be conducted in stages.

"Due to the developer's limited budget and the monetary crisis, the project will focus on the construction of the main ground area."

Sudarsono said the establishment of the new terminal was essential to ease traffic congestion around the Pulogadung terminal.

"The traffic problem around Pulogadung terminal is mainly caused by the flow of intercity buses which has become increasingly unbearable," he said. "We need a bigger terminal to accommodate all the buses."

He said the 2.1-hectare Pulogadung terminal could accommodate 300 stationary buses but, in reality, the terminal must serve more than 1,000 buses per hour.

The proposed 7.1-hectare Pulogebang terminal, which was estimated to cost about Rp 120 billion before the monetary crisis, is designed to have a capacity for 3,000 buses per hour.

The barter scheme for the project states that the developer has the right to use a 3.3-hectare plot of land in Pulogadung in exchange for the construction of the Pulogebang terminal.

The project has been delayed several times for various reasons, including a dispute between the developer and the administration over the width of the land and the design of the new terminal.

In a related development, Central Jakarta Mayor Andi Subur said yesterday that his office had canceled its plan to expand the Senen bus terminal this year due to the limited availability of funds.

Andi said the project, which would cost about Rp 4 billion, would involve the relocation of about 100 families who lived on the 3,000-square-meter plot of land located adjacent to the existing terminal. (cst)