Manggarai project may start next year
JAKARTA (JP): Prominent developer Ciputra said on Saturday he hoped the construction of an integrated public transportation terminal in Manggarai, South Jakarta could begin next year.
Ciputra, a founder of PT Pembangunan Jaya, a consortium member of the widely debated project, said a meeting of shareholders revealed last week a "considerably rapid advance in the progress report".
"Bureaucratic constraints" are largely out of the way, he added, in response to questions on why he was so optimistic.
Besides receiving President Soeharto's blessing, "four government bodies have also approved the plans," Ciputra said after announcing his forthcoming replacement as president director of the company.
The current deputy director, 57-year-old Hanafi Lauw, will take over the helm at the partially owned city firm on Sept. 3, when Ciputra turns 65.
Ciputra said the Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Transportation, the municipality and the Ministry of Agriculture have approved the plans, estimated to cost US$285 million.
However, various permits are still needed, including permits to build a light railway system from the municipality.
Details must still be worked out, he said, including the search for ways to complete the project with the eviction of residents kept to a minimum.
Access roads, for instance, could be elevated or underground, Ciputra said.
The project, which combines a terminal, an elevated toll road and a business area, is "highly challenging" and "a revolution" to be conducted by local experts, Ciputra said.
"I have faced many difficult projects, but this is the most difficult," he said.
The plan was announced last June after Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto and representatives of a consortium of private companies submitted proposals to President Soeharto.
Mrs. Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana chairs the consortium of seven companies.
Controversy over the terminal, which is to integrate, among other things, a railway station with 22 tracks and four underground express railway tracks, as well as an intercity bus terminal and a city bus terminal, is mainly because it is against the city's policies.
Intercity terminals are being moved out of the city in line with the 1985-2005 master plan.
Residents also said they were not notified of the plans, which may affect 54 hectares of residential area, besides 72 hectares of land owned by the state-owned railway company.
Thousands of families may have to move.
"The controversy has surfaced because people think we will use existing roads," Ciputra said. Access to the terminal may either be a two-level or even three-level road, he said, which may include a light railway system.
Hanafi added that rapid changes in urban needs have led to outdated predictions in urban planning.
Earlier this month, the municipality was still tight-lipped about the project, saying plans may still be reviewed by relevant ministries.
Active
The outgoing Ciputra further said that in line with earlier practices at Pembangunan Jaya, he will be an "active commissioner" to provide consultations, particularly on company strategy and new projects, including Manggarai.
After 35 years, Pembangunan Jaya has accumulated assets of more than Rp 5 trillion. Its 60 subsidiaries include firms involved in property, consultancy, construction, industry and trade.
Other subsidiaries are tourism, finance and banking, with infrastructure as the latest addition. One of the subsidiaries, PT Jaya Real Property, was listed on the Jakarta Stock Exchange in June 1994.
Besides building several housing areas in and around the city, notable projects of the Jaya Group include the Proyek Senen shopping center and the transformation of the swampy Ancol area into an entertainment park in North Jakarta.
Of the city projects involving PT Pembangunan Jaya, worth Rp 2.3 trillion so far, "only 1 percent of funding is from the municipality," Ciputra said. (anr)