Mayors asked to speed up warehouse relocation plan

Mayors asked to speed up warehouse relocation plan

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has instructed the West
and Central Jakarta mayors to see that businessmen in three
districts in the two mayoralties relocate their warehouses.

"The mayors should tell the businessmen to relocate their
warehouses from the Kota area because the governor has given them
the authority to do so," Sri Untari, a staff member of the city
administration's economic bureau, said.

At the moment there are about 40 warehouses still located in
the Taman Sari and Tambora districts of West Jakarta and Sawah
Besar district in Central Jakarta. Previously there were a total
of 124 warehouses in those areas.

"I am sure there will be no more warehouses in those areas by
the end of next year if the owners truly understand the urgent
need to relocate their warehouses to other areas," Sri said.

The City Council has urged the city administration to speed up
the relocation program because the warehouses in downtown Kota
area cause several problems such as heavy traffic snarls and air
pollution.

The city administration has been planning to relocate the
warehouses in the Tambora, Tamansari and Sawah Besar districts
since 1984.

However, due to various problems, the city administration
could not start the relocation program until two years ago. But
there are many businessmen who are reluctant to relocate their
warehouses because they say the designated new locations are too
far from the business center.

The city administration has selected several alternative
locations for the warehouses throughout the city: Sunter Barat,
Sunter Timur, Ciracas, Pulogadung, Cipinang and Cilincing.

When asked about what kind of penalties would be imposed on
disobedient businessmen, Sri said that the city administration
would not hesitate to close down their warehouses.

She explained it would be difficult to ask the owners to
demolish the warehouses because that requires a lot of funds and
there is a gubernatorial decree stating the need to preserve old
buildings built during the Dutch colonial era which are used as
warehouses. (yns)