Private firms wanted to care for parks

JAKARTA (JP): The City Parks Agency said on Monday that local private firms were invited to maintain parks in the city and could use them to promote their image.

"I have secured permission from Governor Sutiyoso to offer and introduce the idea to local private companies," head of the agency Dadang Ruskandar told reporters at City Hall.

He said his office had so far received proposals from five private companies to take care of its seven parks, located in strategic areas of the city.

The seven are Suropati Park, Semanggi Park, the median along Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Imam Bonjol Park and Jl. Diponegoro Park, all in Central Jakarta, and Rasuna Said Park in South Jakarta.

"They will have the right to manage the parks for a period of one year and erect a sort of information board in the respective locations containing the names of the companies," he said.

Dadang said the private firms would be responsible for trimming the grass once every two weeks, watering plants twice a day and getting rid of weeds periodically.

"And once their period is over, they can renew the right to manage the parks," he said.

He added that the program would help reduce the agency's future expenses in taking care of the parks, each of which required Rp 100 million (US$11,764) annually for maintenance.

The official said priority would be given to companies operating in Jakarta who would contribute to caring for the city's parks while at the same time promoting their corporate image.

The decision, Dadang said, was taken to ensure good care of the parks and that, hopefully, in the future, all of the city's parks could be managed by private companies.

"The private companies' involvement will enable the agency to focus on programs to return the misappropriated parks to their original functions and to develop new parks in poor areas of the capital," he said.

Official data show that there are 562 city parks covering a total of 177,290 square kilometers. The agency is currently focusing on reconverting some 203 misappropriated parks, standing on 1,206 hectares, to their original use.

Commenting on unused funds allocated to take care of the city's parks, Dadang said the money would be used to finance the agency's projects to develop new park locations in the capital's poor areas.

He cited that for the establishment of new parks, his office had set up a City Beautification Team, comprising city officials and landscape associations, to set guidelines for the planned park development projects in the poor areas.

Dadang said he had ordered his staff in the capital's five mayoralties to provide three planned locations in their respective areas for the project.

"By doing so, the agency will be able to provide parks which will help beautify poor areas throughout the city," he said. (lup/nvn)