Legislator urges utility network organisation to be a priority in Jakarta
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Muhammad Thamrin, a member of Commission D of the Jakarta DPRD, stated that the arrangement of utility networks must become a priority programme to realise a safer, more organised, and modern Jakarta.
To this end, he urged the Jakarta Provincial Government to immediately strengthen coordination with all utility operators to accelerate the tidying up of overhead cable networks scattered across various regions.
“Utilities must be arranged more neatly and safely,” Thamlag said in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Thamrin also requested that the programme to move cables underground be prioritised in strategic areas. These include protocol roads, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) areas, MRT corridors, tourist zones, and public activity centres.
According to him, the construction of shared utility corridors will make network placement more efficient and organised, while supporting sustainable urban development.
Furthermore, Thamrin proposed the formation of a special agency to manage the use of underground space and to integrate the licensing system for utility networks. With more integrated governance, it is believed that the infrastructure arrangement process will proceed more quickly and effectively.
Previously, the Governor of Jakarta, Pramono Anung Wibowo, stated that he had signed a regional regulation (Perda) regarding cable arrangement in the capital.
“These cables are currently being organised because I have also signed the regional regulation. The regulation concerns the Integrated Utility Network Facilities (SJOT),” said Pramono.
Pramono explained that previously, cables could not be moved underground because there was no legal framework in place. However, with the existence of this regulation, Pramono hopes that the issue of tangled cables in the capital can be properly addressed.
“With the regional regulation that I have signed and which has been enacted, hopefully, the handling of cables can be managed more effectively,” Pramono said.
Furthermore, Pramono added that several private companies or entities are now prepared to cooperate with the Jakarta Provincial Government to handle the cables in the capital.
Pramono acknowledged that the issue of tangled cables is one of the complex problems in Jakarta.
“Jakarta is so complex and large, and one of the main problems is the many cables that are actually no longer in use, but the owners are unaware because they have been there for so long,” Pramono revealed.