JAKARTA (JP): The City Police will get a new 20-story building

JAKARTA (JP): The City Police will get a new 20-story building
under a land barter agreement with a privately-owned company.

However, police officials refuse to name the company or give
details regarding the project.

The new, multi-storied office building will be constructed on
the same plot where the existing City Police Headquarters stands,
on Jl. Gatot Subroto. It will be built by a privately-owned
company, which will receive four hectares, or one-third of the
14-hectare plot, as compensation.

When asked by reporters here yesterday about the land barter
agreement, City Police chief Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto refused
to comment, explaining that "silence is the policy of my
superior, so I have to abide by it."

Rumors are spreading that the 4-hectare site has been given to
a firm jointly controlled by tycoon Liem Siu Liong and another
noted businessman.

On Monday, National Police Chief Gen. Banurusman told
reporters that he had received a "green light" from the Armed
Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung, signifying that the
proposal on the land barter agreement with the privately-owned
company was moving ahead.

The City Police headquarters is located in the strategic site
at the southern part of the Semanggi cloverleaf bridge, facing
both Jl. Jendral Sudirman and Jl. Gatot Subroto.

The four-hectare plot to be given to the private company is
the area facing Jl. Jendral Sudirman. This land is now occupied
by the offices of the City Police chief and his staff, the crime
investigation unit, the rapid response team, the information
service, the personnel directorate, the military police and
crime-desk reporters.

A huge field usually used for many police exercises and other
events will also have to be cut under the agreement.

Deal

Based on a compensation deal, the private party will build a
20-story building in the area, which is currently occupied by the
Traffic Directorate. The proposed building will integrate whole
units and other related institutions at City Police Headquarters.

Next to the area to be developed by the private firm, a giant
project called Sudirman Business Center (SBC), whose equity is
partly owned by the Indonesian Army foundation named Kartika Eka
Paksi, is still under construction on a 40.4-hectare area.

The mega project of SBC is being developed at a total cost of
Rp 6.5 trillion (over US$3 billion) and will integrate business
centers, hotels, social service and entertainment halls in one
area.

Banurusman, who is also a former Jakarta City Police chief,
said that the idea to have a new building for the city police
headquarters had been discussed for years and violated no
existing regulations.

Along with the planned construction of the City Police
headquarters building, Banurusman also said that two police
precinct offices in the city and the Police College (PTIK) on Jl
Tirtayasa in South Jakarta are also scheduled to have new
buildings but on different sites.

The West Jakarta police precinct office on Jl. Gatot Subroto
will get a new office in Kebon Jeruk, a fast growing suburb in
the west of the city, while the East Jakarta office on Jl.
Matraman will be moved to a new building in Pondok Kopi in the
east of the city. The police college will get a new building in
Serpong, Tangerang. (bsr)