Medan expands northward

Medan expands northward

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Medan's master city plan dictates that
the city must expand along the coastline to the north for the
sake of conserving the water catchment areas in the west and
south.

Mayor Bahtiar Djafar said Medan wanted to avoid the mistake
that Jakarta had made in realizing too late the importance of
protecting its ground water resources, the Antara news agency
reported.

Bahtiar, who is scheduled to complete his term as mayor in
April, said the city's master plan had been drafted to guide
development for the next 20 years.

"It's got nothing to do with the fact that I come from the
northern part of the city," Bahtiar said, referring to rumors
that he had a personal interest in pushing for expansion to the
north.

The city had already invested some Rp 200 billion ($95
million) in infrastructure to promote the northern expansion
under the Medan Urban Development Project, he added.

The project includes the construction of drainage systems, a
ring road, and the expansion of the industrial zones.

The southern and eastern areas of Medan are reserved
exclusively for residential development. Houses built in these
areas are subject to strict criteria, one of which is that they
can only build on 20 percent of the allocated area. (emb)