Jl. Thamrin beautification plan open to adjustment

JAKARTA (JP): The plan to tear down fences and widen sidewalks along Jl. M.H. Thamrin to make the street "friendlier" is open to adjustment based on the situation at each building, according to a city official.

The head of City's Park Agency, Syamsir Alam, said yesterday that the municipality's design, presented to building owners in June, was not yet set in concrete.

"Several adjustments to the plan are possible as long as it is not too far from the initial concept," said Syamsir, a Thamrin project executive, before the closing ceremony of a flora and fauna exhibition at Lapangan Banteng square in Central Jakarta.

He said that the municipality had thus far received eight written requests from building owners who demanded to review the plan.

"The owners did not oppose the plan. Their requests are just due to misunderstandings.

"Maybe the owners did not fully understand that the plan would not only benefit the public, but also their buildings."

He said that Wisma Kosgoro and Sarinah were among those which had requested changes. "I don't remember the rest," Syamsir said.

Sari Pan Pacific Hotel's communications director, Satria Wira, told The Jakarta Post late last week that building owners had requested the municipality review the plan, which would affect 20 high-rise buildings, excluding embassies, along the 1.65 kilometer long Jl. M.H. Thamrin, one of the city's main roads.

He said that the owners were not against the municipality's plan.

"We just want adjustments to the plan based on the condition of each building," Satria said.

He said that among the owners who wanted to review were those of the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel, Bank Jaya, BPPT and Skyline buildings.

Under the administration's plan, called the Thamrin Walk, the fences between high-rise buildings and the sidewalks would be torn down to widen the sidewalks and create a friendlier atmosphere for pedestrians.

The sidewalks are to be expanded to between seven and eight meters wide.

Syamsir said that the municipality did not blame building owners for their misunderstanding, which could be the result of not attending the municipality's presentation at the Sari Pan Pacific hotel in June.

"Maybe the owners only sent one of their staff to the meeting, and after the presentation, the employees did not give detailed information to their superiors," Syamsir said.

He urged building owners to send their correct representatives to discuss the plan with city officials in several meetings to be held soon.

"By attending the meetings, the owners will have detailed information and also be able to propose ideas for necessary adjustments," Syamsir said.

For instance, he said, the plan to widen sidewalks by seven to eight meters would be applied based on the situation at each buildings.

"There's a need to hold dialogs between the municipality and building owners to prevent misunderstanding and to provide owners with more information about the plan," Syamsir said.

The dialogs, he said, would also help make the owners understand that the plan was very important to make the city friendlier, especially for pedestrians.

Central Jakarta Mayor Abdul Kahfi said in July that the plan had received a positive response from the building owners. However, he said it was unlikely that the plan, initially scheduled to commence in October, would begin due to difficulties in getting suitable fences.

In the plan, the administration has budgeted to spend about Rp 13.2 billion (about US$4.98 million), while the 20 building owners will contribute another Rp 8.5 billion. (ste)