Tue, 18 Jul 1995

Pulogadung station relocation delayed

JAKARTA (JP): A plan to relocate the Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta has been delayed because the environment impact analysis (Amdal) on the new location has yet to be completed.

Assistant to the City Secretary Prawoto Danoemihardjo said yesterday that the environment consultant of the project had not yet submitted the results of the analysis for the new terminal which will be located in Pulogebang, East Jakarta.

"We are still waiting for the results so that it enables us to start the construction of the new terminal," Prawoto told reporters at City Hall.

Prawoto explained that the relocation plan should be implemented as soon as possible because Pulogadung is no longer considered a suitable location for a bus terminal.

Massive traffic jams, he added, are a typical daily occurrence in the 3.5 hectare terminal. "Therefore the only way to solve this problem is to relocate it to a new place."

In 1989, the city administration signed a memorandum of understanding with PT Rodial Error, a private company, to relocate the terminal, based on the ruilslag (barter) system in which the developer should provide the land and build the terminal in Pulogebang and in return have the right to use the site of Pulogadung terminal for the construction of a shopping complex.

Modern terminal

The city administration is planning to build a modern terminal equipped with sophisticated facilities in Pulogebang to accommodate either city or inter-city buses.

"But this has been hampered because the developer has so far failed to provide the land needed as there is a dispute between the developer and residents over the amount of land compensation," Prawoto said, adding that 10 hectares of land is needed for the new terminal.

He explained that residents of the new location had demanded compensation between Rp 75,000 (US$34) and Rp 125,000 per square meter while the developer was only willing to pay Rp 60,000 per square meter.

However, Hadjid, the project manager of the company, said that the company had already appropriated 7.1 square meters of land required by the city administration and it is the municipality that has instead failed to provide the additional 2.9 hectares of land.

"The company is ready to carry out the development of the new terminal as soon as possible because we have already have the land, but the city administration has yet to appropriate 2.9 hectares of land as agreed," Hadjid told reporters yesterday.

Prawoto acknowledged it was true that the city administration should appropriate 2.9 hectares of land, which will be financed by the city budget. But he refused to go into detail. (yns)