Perumnas land chosen for new bus terminal
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration and the City Council have agreed on a 14.4-hectare plot of land belonging to state housing firm PT Perumnas in Pulogebang, East Jakarta, as the site of a new bus terminal to replace Pulogadung terminal, an official said on Tuesday.
The head of the City Land Transportation Agency (DLLJ), Buyung Atang, said the site was selected because the land was less expensive, the roads were in better condition and it was easier accessed than another plot of land proposed by the city administration.
The other plot, located nearby, measures 7.1 hectares and belongs to several individuals. The land originally was managed by private contractor PT Radiol Eron, but in 1997 the contractor declared it could no longer finance the development of the land. Reportedly, there is currently a legal dispute over the ownership of this land.
Atang said that based on a study by the city administration, the government will save between Rp 12 billion (US$1.2 million) and Rp 15 billion by building the terminal on the plot of land belonging to PT Perumnas, which is located 5.5 kilometers from the Pulogadung terminal.
"Besides, the traffic in the area is more feasible than in the area around the other proposed plot of land," Atang said after meeting with the City Council's Commission D for development affairs.
He said the price of the land owned by PT Perumnas was Rp 460,000 per square meter, while the price of the other land was Rp 660,000 per square meter.
Atang said construction of the new terminal could start as early as next year and was expected to be completed by 2003 or 2004.
He said a special team would draw up a design for the new terminal and if it was approved by the Council this month, the land appropriation for the terminal could begin within the next three months.
It is estimated that the cost of appropriating the land could reach Rp 40 billion, including the cost of converting part of the land, which is swampy. The total cost of the project, however, has not been announced.
About 10 hectares of the land will be used for the terminal, with the remaining 4.4 hectares earmarked for green area.
Uncertainty
The fate of the Pulogadung terminal remains unclear. "There could be a land exchange of some kind," Atang said, declining to provide details.
During a meeting on Tuesday between DLLAJ officials and councillors from Commission D, it appeared that the DLLAJ officials were attempting to garner support to take over the terminal project from the East Jakarta mayoralty.
A member of Commission D, Ali Imron, suggested that the project would be better handled by DLLAJ rather than the mayoralty.
"As the office which handles transportation, it should be given the chance to manage this project," Ali, of the United Development Party (PPP), said.
He said that in the 2001 city budget, the money for the terminal project, including the Rp 40 billion for the land appropriation, was allocated to the East Jakarta mayoralty.
The project was given to the mayoralty because the mayoralty knows the area where the new terminal will be located, he said.
Pulogadung terminal is located in a crowded area near the Pulogadung industrial estate. The terminal is in poor condition, with serious damage to its roads, which are used by thousands of passengers every day. (jun)