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)