No ticketing for emission failure

JAKARTA (JP): City officials yesterday said motorists in Jakarta would not be ticketed for failing emission tests because a schedule to implement the emission law had yet to be decided.

Head of the city's environmental bureau Aboejoewono Aboeprajitno was responding yesterday to reports of drivers being ticketed on the Ciawi toll road in Bogor because their busses failed emission tests.

A land transport control agency official at the city's emission check center in Ujung Menteng said there were no instructions yet to conduct tests in Jakarta.

Yesterday Bogor land transport control agency officials ticketed inter-city bus drivers if their buses failed spot emission tests.

Aboejoewono is in charge of a team preparing for the implementation of the new law on emissions. Preparations include spot checking of vehicles emissions. The team includes members of the city's land traffic control agency.

He said earlier the team had suggested to authorities that ticketing public transport and truck drivers for failing emission tests begin in September in certain areas.

"We're not doing any thing now, I'm quite surprised to hear drivers have been ticketed for their vehicles failing emission tests," he said.

Meanwhile Ciawi and Bogor authorities could not be reached yesterday.

Aboejoewono said the next spot checks, targeting 5,000 vehicles, would be held from March 10 to 15. The last ones were held last June and in January. (anr)