Council pushes for division of Tangerang regency

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.