Perumnas land chosen for new bus terminal
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)