Jakarta drops plan to ban old cars
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
There was good news for owners of old cars when the City Council dropped its proposal to introduce vehicle age restrictions.
People will, however, need to ensure that their vehicle emissions remain within the set limits as otherwise they will face a Rp 50 million (US$555) fine or six-months in prison.
The final draft of the new air pollution bylaw made public on Monday does not include a restriction on vehicle age as had been demanded by a number of councillors, environmentalists and administration officials.
Instead, it increases the fines for emission limit violators to Rp 50 million from the Rp 5 million originally envisaged in the draft bylaw submitted by the administration.
Council deputy speaker Ilal Firhard said on Monday that the final draft of the air pollution bylaw did not include age restrictions as the Jakarta public was opposed to such a policy.
"We believe, however, that a large fine for polluters will force everyone, including the owners of polluting vehicles, to abide by the regulations," Ilal told the press after chairing a council leadership meeting to discuss the final draft.
The meeting was attended by the chairmen of all of the council's five commissions and its seven factions.
Previously, the council's legal and administrative affairs commission had proposed a ban on vehicles of more than 15 years of age in the case of private cars and 1O years of age in the case of public transportation vehicles as part of the effort to curb air pollution.
Chairman of the City Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) Kosasih Wirahadikusumah supported the idea, saying that such a policy would not only be good for the air, but also good for curbing the high growth of vehicles that sparked traffic congestion.
The chairman of the council's team that drafted the proposed bylaw, Muhayar, said the team failed to agree on the vehicle lifetime issue as a number of councillors argued there was no correlation between air pollution and vehicle age.
"What we are concerned about is the need to reduce air pollution. Therefore, we need to focus on how to the minimize pollution caused by both vehicles and industry," Muhayar told The Jakarta Post, adding that emission tests for private cars would have to be conducted every six months.
Apart from threatening polluters with fines and jail terms, the draft bylaw also contains a range of administrative sanctions that may be imposed on them. According to Article 39, these sanctions include warnings and the revocation of business permits.
Under Article 13 of the draft, health facilities, workplaces, places used for education, houses of worship, places used for children's activities, and public transportation will all be smoke-free.
The draft bylaw is expected to be approved on Friday.
Highlights of the draft air pollution bylaw
1. Article 10, air pollution covers both indoor and outdoor air pollution.
2. Article 14, all individuals and institutions are prohibited from burning garbage in open areas.
3. Article 19, motorized vehicles have to undergo emission tests at least once every six months.
4. Article 20: city administration vehicles must use compressed natural gas.
5. Article 24, building managers are responsible for the air quality in the buildings they manage.
6. Article 27, in an effort to allow the atmosphere to rid itself of pollution, the governor must designate car-free days in particular areas at least once per month.
7. Article 29, any person or institution whose activities cause air pollution will be required to pay for the cleanup effort.
8. Article 30, any person or institution whose activities cause suffering on the part of another party will be required to pay damages.
9. Article 33, the public has the right to bring class actions against air polluters.
10. Article 40, investigations into air pollution cases may be carried out by designated officers of the city administration.