Former governors criticize Manggarai project
Former governors criticize Manggarai project
JAKARTA (JP): Former Jakarta governors have criticized the
plan to build a massive integrated transport terminal in
Manggarai, South Jakarta, saying it is in contradiction with the
existing city development plan.
Ali Sadikin, city governor between 1967 and 1977, and Wiyogo
Atmodarminto, the predecessor of the current Governor Surjadi
Soedirdja, both expressed their disapproval of the plan
yesterday, saying the municipal development plan stipulated that
bus terminals could only be built on the outskirts of the city.
Ali said the project would not solve Jakarta's traffic
problems and that to proceed with it was "ridiculous".
"The main purpose of building terminals on the outskirts is to
prevent inter-city buses from entering the city. But now the
Manggarai plan will open the door for those buses to come in,"
Ali told reporters yesterday after a city council plenary
meeting, held in commemoration of the city's anniversary.
Ali said that the plan would only worsen the already chaotic
situation in the city, especially in the Manggarai area.
He predicted that about 12 million people would pass through
the terminal everyday once it was in operation, adding that the
resultant "frenzied" situation would inevitably affect the nearby
suburb of Menteng.
Even small changes to municipal planning should be approved by
the city council, Ali said. "I doubt that the council has given a
green light to the Manggarai project," he added.
Wiyogo said he had been shocked to hear of the Manggarai plan,
which he said was unprecedented.
"The project is totally contrary to the city transportation
development plan which has been in place since Ali Sadikin's
era," he said.
Wiyogo said the plan to build bus terminals on the city
outskirts, such as in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, and Pulogadung
and Kampung Rambutan in East Jakarta, was still valid.
A consortium plans to build an integrated terminal in
Manggarai on a 124-hectare plot of land extending from Manggarai
into the districts of Tebet and Kampung Melayu. The project is to
be completed by the year 2006.
The US$285 million terminal is to consist of a railway station
with 22 railway lines on the ground floor; four underground
express railway lines; an inter-city bus terminal, with a
capacity of 3,600 buses per day; a city bus terminal with 5,760
buses per day; a taxi terminal; and hotels.
It is to be built by a consortium consisting of seven
companies: PT Bandar Mardi Perkasa, PT Cahaya Cipta Adicemerlang,
PT Citra Agratama Persada, PT Mitraguna Tribhakti, PT Pembangunan
Jaya, PT Sekar Artha Sentosa and PT Suhamthabie Utama.
The consortium is chaired by Siti Hardiyanti Rukamana,
President Soeharto' eldest daughter.
Governor Surjadi has defended the project, saying that it is
part of the effort to anticipate the rapid development which will
increase the need for reliable transportation system.
"This is the answer to future needs and the city
administration does not hesitate to change its policy for it,"
Surjadi said on Wednesday.
He added that the new terminal would not affect the
functioning of the terminals now operating on the city's
outskirts.
Meanwhile, City Council Speaker M.H. Ritonga said yesterday
that the legislative body supported the integrated terminal plan.
He said the council would endorse any move by the city
administration to change the city development plan in order to
accommodate the project.
"It is not impossible to change the plan, especially when
there is a better idea to solve traffic problem here," Ritonga
said yesterday. He added that city planning was subject to review
every five years.
Ritonga said he believed that the Manggarai project had
already taken into consideration the possibility that it might
affect other transport systems in the city. (yns)