Pramono's Ambitious Target: Jakarta Free of Tangled Cables Within Five Years

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has stated that he intends to fix the tangled cables currently cluttering the capital. He has set a target to complete this work within a five-year period.

“To be honest, I am planning that within five years, all cables on the surface can be moved underground, and if that is achieved, the face of Jakarta will certainly look very different. Whether five years is achievable or not remains to be seen, as there are approximately 6,500 km that must be addressed,” said Pramono while inspecting the Integrated Utility Network (SJUT) in Tebet, South Jakarta, on Thursday (10/9).

Pramono noted that the development of the SJUT will involve various parties, not just the Highways Agency (Dinas Bina Marga).

“Private sector involvement is very much needed for this to be a collective effort, as the legal framework is already in place. We believe this is also a commercially attractive venture, so that the relocation of these cables can become a joint movement carried out by all stakeholders in Jakarta,” he continued.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Jakarta Highways Agency, Heru Suwondo, stated that the cost of developing the SJUT across several road sections in Jakarta has reached Rp90 billion.

“Our budget for constructing this SJUT is 90 billion rupiah across eight road sections, Sir,” said Heru.

Heru explained that the SJUT construction covers a length of 16.9 kilometres, located on major thoroughfares.

“The total length is 16.9 kilometres, spanning MT Haryono, Gatot Subroto, Soepomo, Abdullah Syafei, Saharjo, Pemuda, Otista, Tebet Barat Dalam Raya, Matraman, and Jatinegara,” he said.

Heru ensured that the SJUT construction is being carried out in coordination with various agencies, including the Department of Transportation.

“Therefore, all our activities on the roadway are conducted alongside traffic engineering in collaboration with the Department of Transportation. Naturally, there will be traffic adjustments and press releases issued to the public to inform them of activities in these locations to avoid alternative routes,” he added.