New license office opens Thursday

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)