DLLAJ urges use of portable scales
JAKARTA (JP): While observing the continuing destruction of the city's streets, the City Traffic and Land Transportation Agency (DLLAJ) proposed on Friday the use of portable scales to interdict overloaded trucks operating on the streets.
DLLAJ head Buyung Atang said his office had asked the city administration to provide 25 portable scales to conduct immediate operations against overloaded trucks.
"The central government has banned the operation of scaling stations, making it difficult for the agency to check on overloaded trucks," Buyung told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony marking the departure of Jakarta's football team (Persija) to Brunei Darussalam to participate in a football tournament at the neighboring country from Feb. 28 until March 8.
"The portable scales will enable the agency to stop overloaded trucks at any spot," he said.
Residents have long complained of deteriorating city streets, mainly since the economic crisis hit the country in mid 1997. They place the blame for the damaged streets mainly on the overloaded trucks.
Buyung, however, did not deny the possibility that such practices would enable DLLAJ officials to create different forms of corrupt and colluding practices by asking for "levies" from the truck drivers.
"The best thing to do is for the drivers to report such practices to my office," he said.
The official hinted that his agency had conducted operations to net notorious truck drivers with minimum personnel and equipment.
"DLLAJ Jakarta only has 200 personnel to control more than 50,000 public vehicles here. It's absolutely not enough to conduct a one-by-one vehicle inspection," he said.
He said his agency has fined 1,193 buses and other types of public vehicles for violating traffic regulations from November last year until January this year.
Buyung said his office was committed to upgrading the performance of agency officials by dismissing employees incapable of performing their duties.
"For instance, we'll replace six heads of city and intercity bus terminals next Monday (Feb. 28) mainly because they have failed to carry out their duties," he said.
"They're responsible to uphold public order in the terminals from street vendors, pickpockets, hoodlums and the like and also to maintain the terminals' tidiness," he added, while hinting that the terminal heads had failed to do so.
He said the replacements would affect the city's major bus terminals of Cililitan, Kampung Rambutan, Pinang Ranti and Pulo Gadung in East Jakarta, Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta, and Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta.
Emission testers
In an effort to improve air quality in Jakarta, Buyung said his agency would deploy portable emission testers to check on vehicle emissions.
"Governor Sutiyoso has agreed to provide 25 emission testers in the 2000 fiscal year. Each agency's mayoralty office will get five testers," he said.
"The number is still insufficient to test all vehicles in the city. But, we'll do our best to keep the pollution level low," he added.
Public vehicles in the city, especially city buses, are known for their dark thick exhaust smoke due to lack of maintenance.
Buyung, however, said that such smoke wasn't necessarily the sign of an engine's poor condition. "The engines need to be tested with emission testers before their exhaust can be categorized as dangerous." (nvn)