Council pushes for division of Tangerang regency

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang

In the year and a half since Tangerang Regent Ismet Iskandar took office, calls to divide the regency has been mounting, with the latest from Tangerang Council chairman Dadang Kartasasmita.

As regental revenue only reached Rp 967.9 billion (US$105.55 million) -- not enough to cover development programs across the 117,000 hectares that form Tangerang regency -- Dadang suggested the administration split the regency into three: two regencies and one municipality.

According to the proposal, Tigaraksa regency is to comprise 12 districts, Pantura regency along the northern coast will comprise nine districts and Cipasera municipality will comprise four districts bordering Jakarta, areas where many commuters to the capital live.

Dadang said the administration had allocated most of the budget toward education and transportation and neglected development programs, particularly along the northern coast, which had limited public facilities such as schools, banks and post offices.

"People in the coastal areas to the north have been isolated and excluded from education and financial access due to a lack of public facilities," he said.

"They live on farming and fishing, but over the last five years, they have been working as sand miners because they can't sell their crops and products."

Ismet had said in his speech on the regency's vision and mission in April 2003 that he would pay more attention to farmers and fishermen in a bid to improve the industries, especially in the northern part of the regency.

However, many fishermen have been forced to become scavengers following a coastal reclamation project implemented by private companies, which has also damaged the environment.

The regent said the Tangerang administration was unable to stop the companies, and had asked the central government to step in to halt the project.

As each of the proposed regencies and municipality possessed solid economic potential, Dadang said the establishment of separate administrations was possible.

Within Pantura regency are the districts of Rajeg and Pasar Kemis, where many large industrial firms are located, the warehouse zone of Kosambi district, which is adjacent to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, and six other districts with agriculture and fishing potential.

Dadang said he strongly supported the establishment of Pantura regency as a means to overcome poverty in the area.

Residents of Ciputat, Pamulang, Serpong and Pondok Aren districts had previously demanded the establishment of an independent municipality, as they were disappointed with the regental policies which, they said, did not accommodate their infrastructure needs. Furthermore, the districts had grown rapidly as popular residential areas.

Ismet had also said that he would build roads connecting several districts, including Ciputat, Serpong, Curug, Legok, Tigaraksa and Balaraja.

A Rp 140 billion construction project of two overpasses in Ciputat and Balaraja was started in March, financed by Japanese loans through the Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure.