New license office opens Thursday
JAKARTA (JP): The new drivers license office, located on Jl. Daan Mogot, West Jakarta, will definitely be opened on Jan. 2, the police said yesterday.
Lieutenant Budi Rahardjo, staff member of the drivers license section of the Jakarta Police Headquarters, said the officers would do their best to open on the date announced some time ago.
The police closed the old drivers license facilities at the their headquarters over the weekend to start the removal to an area which is already notorious for constant traffic congestion.
The new 12.7-hectare police complex consists of two buildings which include eight rooms for registration, eight counters for fingerprint taking, ten rooms for photo taking, and six air- conditioned waiting rooms.
Budi said that the public would receive better service there on account of the improved facilities.
"We can process 5,000 driving licenses a day," he said. He added that unlike at the old building, new applicants and old holders of driving licenses would be served separately.
Budi said that the main building is much better than the old one located near the Semanggi intersection, in South Jakarta.
However, drivers have voiced their grumbled over the location of the new center, which many have complained is too far from the city center.
Reports said that the removal of the services to West Jakarta prompted many people to take advantage of the last days of the facilities at the old building to apply for new license.
According the reports the number of applications rose by almost 400 percent last week.
According to Budi, to offer the best possible service to the public, the office would place signs along Jl. Daan Mogot, which leads to the center, and inform the public through other media about how to reach the facilities.
The police have also announced that due to the removal the office closed on Dec. 28 and would not reopen until Jan. 2.
The announcement said that traffic police would not ticket drivers with licenses expiring on those days. (05)