Manggarai bus station project needs Rp 7b

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)