Jakarta's problems spilling over

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Tangerang Mayor Wahidin Halim urged the Jakarta administration to share responsibility in coping with a variety of social problems now emerging in the areas bordering the two administrations.

"I'll send a team to meet Governor Sutiyoso directly to talk about these problems as most of them are resulting from over population in Jakarta," Wahidin said on Monday.

He highlighted four main problems including illegal dumping and prostitution.

Since the temporary closure of Bantar Gebang dump in Bekasi early in January, he said, many garbage trucks from Jakarta have been playing hide and seek with local officers in order to dump garbage at the municipal dump in Rawa Kucing, Neglasari district.

Meanwhile, he added, evictees from Tanjung Duren, West Jakarta, were now squatting in Batu Ceper district.

Wahidin also claimed that an increasing number of prostitutes have moved to several main roads in Tangerang, "who previously operated in Pondok Labu, South Jakarta, and Jatinegara, East Jakarta".

"Moreover, many residents of Ulujami subdistrict, South Jakarta, opted to go to a community health center of Larangan subdistrict which is under Tangerang's jurisdiction. We already have enough problems with limited medical facilities and services," he remarked.

Expressing hope that Sutiyoso would respond to the problems, Wahidin added that the neighboring administrations should build cooperation and improve coordination.