Municipality urged to be transparent on spatial plan
Municipality urged to be transparent on spatial plan
JAKARTA (JP): The municipality must give the public access to
detailed information on projects when it releases the reviewed
spatial plan, a property analyst said Saturday.
The chairman of the Center for Indonesian Property Study,
Panangian Simanungkalit, said that new spatial plans and the
reviewed plan must be drafted in a transparent manner to prevent
protests by those whose property would be affected by projects.
Panangian was responding to a recent official statement that
the Manggarai integrated transportation project and other mega
projects would be included in the reviewed 1985-2005 spatial
plan.
A detailed spatial plan would let people know what kind of
projects would occur locally and when they would start, he said.
The public should have access to information on the exact
locations of projects, the size of sites and the latest property
prices.
The price of land in Greater Jakarta has been rising
uncontrollably, mostly driven by speculators and brokers who have
inside information on project plans, while local property owners
know nothing about them. Officials in charge of the spatial plan
have been accused of leaking information.
Low prices
Speculators and brokers often entice locals to sell land at
low prices, and then sell it to developers at high prices.
"Such practices were unhealthy and unfair. Openness and
transparency in the latest spatial plan would help residents face
land brokers and speculators," Panangian told The Jakarta Post.
The administration would gain public support if it provided
the public with detailed information on projects, he said.
"Public support for projects, especially big ones like the
Manggarai bus terminal, is vital. The municipality should have
learnt from disputes arising over land appropriation, when land
owners have demanded higher compensation," he said.
He said that people usually did not care whether projects
would be included in the spatial plan or not, "They just don't
want projects to disadvantage or harm them."
Panangian said the authorities should tell people how they
could benefit from projects. "The public will support the
projects as soon as they know they will benefit from the
projects."
He called on developers of mega projects, like the Manggarai
terminal, the subway and the three-tier road, to accommodate the
needs of middle-income and poor people. They could do this by
building cheap apartments.
Consortium chief Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana proposed the plan to
turn the Manggarai bus terminal into an 124-hectare integrated
terminal, surrounded by a commercial center and apartments, to
President Soeharto in 1994. Minister of Transportation Haryanto
Dhanutirto attended the presentation.
Haryanto said the existing terminal would be turned into a
four-story station to service 22 tracks, four underground express
trains, intercity and city buses, minibuses and taxis.
The project will affect at least 4,000 families living on a
54-hectare site around the existing terminal.
Other planned mega projects include the 14.5-kilometer subway
from Blok M, South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta and the three-
tiered road, to include an elevated toll road and an elevated
railway from Bintaro, South Jakarta, to Kota. (ste)