Idle billboards blamed on City's poor coordination
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Jakarta Building Management and Supervisory Agency (P2B) has blamed the poor coordination of related agencies of the city administration for the condition of billboards across the city, which either carry old ads or none at all.
"The agencies cooperation in removing expired advertising has been very poor," said agency head Djumhana Tjakrawirja on Saturday at City Hall.
The Jakarta Post observed on Saturday that, on Jl. Gatot Subroto alone, at least six billboards were left blank. Three are located in front of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, one nearby Kuningan I toll gate and two others near the Senayan toll gate.
On Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan and Boulevard Kelapa Gading, East Jakarta, three billboards were also blank.
"We can't simply remove the advertisements as other agencies are also involved in this, including the Jakarta Revenue Agency," Djumhana said.
He claimed that he had recommended to the assistant of the city secretary for development affairs, IGKG Suena, the establishment of a joint team to improve cooperation on billboard management among related agencies.
Earlier, revenue agency head Deden Supriadi admitted that many advertisements were not removed even though the contract to carry them had expired. He said the P2B was responsible for the billboards.
Meanwhile, the Association of Indonesian Outdoor Media (AMLI) chairman Aip Syarifuddin said on Friday that Governor Sutiyoso planned to impose sterner regulations on billboard advertising. He said that the plan was part of the governor's effort to increase the city revenue.
This year, the administration aims to secure Rp 110 billion (US$12.9 million) in revenue from advertising, or a 10 percent increase from last year's Rp 100 billion.
Revenue from advertising has significantly increased over the past three years from Rp 60 billion in 2001 and Rp 90 billion in 2002.
"We told Pak Sutiyoso that the Rp 110 billion target could be easily reached -- maybe higher if observance of the existing regulations improved," Aip said.
City Council factions supported a new draft of the bylaw on advertising on March 17.
The construction of a billboard on the airport toll road was strongly opposed recently as it was built without the consent of the revenue agency. Advertising agency PT Rainbow Cipta Utama, the owner of the billboard, claimed it had gained approval from toll road operator PT Jasa Marga -- as the land owner -- to erect the billboard there.
To make way for the billboard, 240 mangrove trees of the nearby protected forest were felled -- a move which was sharply criticized.
Jakarta Police are investigating the case and will summon staff members of the administration, the ads agency and Jasa Marga for clarification.