Jakarta Council Urges Prioritisation of Utility Network Overhaul

A member of the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) Commission D, Muhammad Thamrin, has stressed that the overhaul of utility networks must become a top priority programme. He described the move as urgent to realise a safer, more orderly, and modern Jakarta. To achieve this target, the Jakarta Provincial Government is being urged to immediately strengthen coordination with all utility operators. This is deemed necessary to accelerate the tidying up of overhead cable networks that remain chaotic in several areas of the capital. “Utilities must be arranged more neatly and safely,” Thamrin said in Jakarta on Wednesday (1/7). Thamrin requested that the programme to move overhead cables underground be prioritised in strategic areas. Several crucial points highlighted include protocol roads, transit-oriented development (TOD) areas, MRT corridors, tourist areas, and public activity centres. According to him, the construction of a common utility corridor would make network placement far more efficient and organised. This step is also considered strategic in supporting sustainable city development. Furthermore, the Jakarta legislator proposed the establishment of a special agency tasked with managing the utilisation of underground space while integrating the utility network licensing system. With more integrated governance, the infrastructure arrangement process is believed to run more quickly and effectively. Governor of Jakarta, Pramono Anung Wibowo, stated that the arrangement of cables in the capital now has a strong legal foundation. He confirmed he has signed a Regional Regulation (Perda) concerning Integrated Utility Network Facilities (SJOT). “These cables are now being arranged because the Perda has also been signed by me. The Perda on SJOT (Integrated Utility Network Facilities),” said Pramono. Pramono explained that the main obstacle to moving cables underground previously occurred due to the absence of governing regulations. However, with the enactment of the Perda, he is optimistic that the city’s aesthetic and safety issues can soon be resolved. “With the Perda that I have signed and which has been promulgated, hopefully, the handling of cables can be managed better,” Pramono stated. Pramono added that several private companies and entities have currently committed to cooperating with the Jakarta Provincial Government to execute the handling of these cables. Nevertheless, he did not deny that the tangle of overhead cables is one of the quite complex problems in Jakarta due to the accumulation of leftover past infrastructure. “So, Jakarta, which is so complex and so large, indeed has a main problem of many cables that are actually no longer utilised, but the owners do not know because they are so old,” Pramono revealed.