Government sticks to transportation tariffs
Government sticks to transportation tariffs
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto said yesterday that the
government will continue controlling transportation tariffs even
though many private firms participate in the transportation
industry.
"We should always remember that the transportation sector is
an economic activity which directly affects the public. Our
constitution rules that any field which is important for the
public should be controlled by the government," Soeharto said in
his speech when opening a workshop of the Ministry of
Transportation yesterday.
He said that the government is inviting more private firms to
participate in the development of the transportation sector which
progresses rapidly with modern technology.
The President also said that the aim of transportation
development in Indonesia is to facilitate the mobility of people,
goods and services to accelerate economic growth and equality.
However, he acknowledged there are still numerous complaints
over land, air and sea transportation services in the country.
At yesterday's opening ceremony, Soeharto presented awards to
28 cities for their good traffic arrangements in 1995.
Meanwhile, Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto
guaranteed yesterday that there will no rise in transportation
tariffs until 1996.
"In spite of the absence of a tariff increase, I project that
in 1996 the total profits of state-owned transportation firms
will increase by 20 percent from the Rp 803 billion projected for
this year," he said.
The Ministry of Transportation canceled last November a plan
of the railway company Perumka to increase railway fares by an
average of 20 percent for executive and business classes.
There are 17 companies supervised by the ministry, including
air carrier PT Garuda Indonesia, Perumka, bus operators PPD and
Perum Damri, the shipping line PT Pelni, the water crossing
operator PT ASDP, four port management firms PT Pelabuhan
Indonesia I, II, III and IV, two airport operators PT Angkasa
Pura I and II, dredging company PT Rukindo and the overseas
freighter Djakarta Lloyd. (icn)