Manggarai bus station project needs Rp 7b

JAKARTA (JP): The government will spend some Rp 7 billion (US$3.2 million) to develop the small bus station at Manggarai in South Jakarta into the largest integrated terminal in Indonesia over the next 10 years, an official said.

Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto said on Monday that the current bus terminal will be expanded into a 72-hectare integrated four-story station, serving trains, inter-city buses, 14-seat minibuses and taxis, beginning next year.

Haryanto, however, declined to give details about which private companies will be involved in the mega project, saying that a number of companies will form a consortium to build the terminal.

Briefing reporters after meeting with President Soeharto at the Cendana Residence, Haryanto said that the terminal will begin operating after five years of its 25-year construction period.

An official of the ministry said earlier this year that the Bimantara, Humpuss and Citra Lamtoro Gung business groups, all controlled by the President's children, were among those interested in the mass transportation project.

Haryanto said that along with the construction of the terminal, the government will also construct overpasses connecting it with the Pancoran area in South Jakarta and Jl. Pramuka in the East.

Citra Lamtoro Gung, which encompasses 60 companies involved in activities ranging from toll roads to banking and television, is controlled by the eldest daughter of Soeharto, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, popularly known as Mbak Tutut, who was spotted at the Ministry of Transportation for meetings with Haryanto in July.

Haryanto said that the terminal's construction will not appropriate personal property, a common habit in Jakarta, on the grounds that the plot will be taken from Perumka, the state-owned railway company, which in return will get a 100-hectare plot in Karawang, West Java.

Perumka currently manages the 72-hectare plot as a place to repair its fleet.

Haryanto quoted Soeharto as saying that the expensive terminal should be utilized for at least 50 years because of the huge commitments involved, during which time the government should be able to control the terminal's use through the consortium.

Analysts criticized the government's inability to deal with Jakarta's traffic problems, and for not creating legislation to encourage people to leave their private cars at home and use public transportation.

They urged the government to start building a rail-based transportation system to deal with the transit demands of a city the size of Jakarta.

Haryanto also said that department stores, hotels and office buildings will be developed within the terminal for the convenience of passengers. (09)