Manggarai project may start next year

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)