Future gas stations in capital to be smaller

JAKARTA (JP): Gas stations in the capital are likely to shrink in size as the administration relocates bigger stations away from parks and green areas.

Toto Soeparto, spokesman for the state-owned oil company Pertamina, said yesterday that the city administration, in cooperation with Pertamina, is reviewing gas station requirements.

"Due to the limited number of open spaces we have agreed that gas stations built on 500 square meters of land will have only one pump, instead of on 1,000 sq.m. with two pumps," Toto said.

He said a special team is studying the feasibility of smaller gas stations as well as their safety and economic aspects.

"Now businesses can build small gas station in housing and apartment complexes which are located in strategic areas," Toto told The Jakarta Post.

He said the city administration, on Pertamina's recommendation, will issue the construction permits for the gas pump stations.

Toto said small gas stations will help keep down the price and amount of land needed to build gas stations.

City Councilor Saud Rahman of the United Development Party faction said that the plan is perfect because it addresses land shortage problems and will help step up the relocation program.

"In the future a gas station may be able to be built on a plot smaller than 300 sq.m.," Saud said.

The city administration recently revoked the operation permits of three gas stations that were located on parks on Jl. Musi and Jl. Fahruddin in Central Jakarta and Jl. Kopi in West Jakarta.

The city currently has 153 gas stations, 34 of which are standing on parks and plots designated for green areas. The administration has vowed to relocate them gradually.

Assistant city secretary Prawoto Danoemihardjo said that smaller gas stations are a wise alternative since land has become scarce and expensive in Jakarta.

Citing Pertamina data, he said the city, with 2.5 million vehicles, should have 280 gas stations.

Home to nine million people, Jakarta covers an area of 65,000 square kilometers. Ideally, 30 percent of the city should be made up of city forests, parks and other green areas.

The capital currently has 7,800 hectares of green areas, including 465 small parks.

Recently, the Indonesian Democratic Party faction urged the city administration to step up its plan to restore the function of 290 parks which are being used for other purposes.

"Only 25 of 290 sites have been turned back into parks," said Djeni Soeharso, the faction's spokesman.

Prawoto said that returning the areas to their original function will not be an easy task.

"We cannot just remove gas stations standing on green areas as the stations are important for the public too. We have to find new places for the gas stations before removing them," Prawoto said. (jun/yns)