JIEP sticker scheme may be delayed

JIEP sticker scheme may be delayed

JAKARTA (JP): City councilors asked the management of the
Pulogadung industrial estate in East Jakarta on Tuesday to
postpone its plan to require vehicles passing through the area to
display stickers.

During a meeting with executives of the city-owned PT Jakarta
Industrial Estate Pulogadung (JIEP), the councilors also urged
the management to first seek legal approval from the governor
before imposing the rule.

"We also hope that PT JIEP will conduct a thorough study in
cooperation with related parties, such as the city land
transportation agency and the police, to recognize the impact of
the plan on the local community and nearby traffic," Ali Wongso
H. Sinaga, head of commission D for development, who led the
councilors in the dialog, told the media after the meeting.

Citing security reasons and in an attempt to restrict public
vehicles using the area as a shortcut, JIEP reportedly wanted to
require all cars inside the area to display specially designed
stickers from Oct. 1.

Each of the 250 companies in the industrial estate would be
initially provided with 20 free stickers. Should they need more,
the firms would be able to buy them from JIEP for Rp 20,000
(US$1.80) each (for sedans and jeeps), Rp 30,000 (trucks) and Rp
40,000 (trailers).

The stickers are valid for one year.

Ali Wongso quoted JIEP executives as saying that about 3,200
vehicles passed through the estate every day.

Members of the public wanting to visit the estate would not
have been required to buy a sticker but only deposit their
identity cards at the security post at the entrance gate.

None of the JIEP executives could be reached for further
comment on Tuesday.

The 430-hectare industrial estate is home to a workforce of
45,000 people employed on a huge number of large-scale industries
as well as other businesses, such as printing and publication
firms.

The councilors were also worried that JIEP's plan to limit the
number of vehicles passing through the industrial estate by
imposing the use of stickers could also create heavy traffic
congestion on nearby streets, such as Jl. Bekasi Raya and Jl.
Perintis Kemerdekaan. (ivy/ind)