Pulogebang project delayed indefinitely

Pulogebang project delayed indefinitely

JAKARTA (JP): The construction of a modern bus terminal in
Pulogebang, East Jakarta, which was previously scheduled to start
in July, has been postponed indefinitely due to financial
problems, a city official said.

"The terminal project is canceled again because the company in
charge of its construction failed to get loans to finance it,"
the city's secretary assistant on economic and development
affairs, Prawoto Danoemihardjo, said over the weekend.

The loans are very essential for the project. "Under the
current (monetary) situation, we can't be sure as to when the
company will get the loans," Prawoto said.

At the presentation of the terminal's design to Governor
Surjadi Soedirdja in April, Hajid, president of PT Rodial Eron,
which will develop the terminal, said the terminal was expected
to start operating in 1999.

Prawoto said that besides its failure to secure loans, the
company has not completed its traffic impact analysis as
requested by the municipality.

"The analysis is very important to prevent traffic problems
that may arise because of the new terminal," he said.

The Pulogebang terminal, he said, was designed to replace the
dilapidated and outdated Pulogadung bus terminal, which now
caters to about 40,000 passengers a day on normal days and 80,000
a day during holiday seasons.

The plan to build the Pulogebang terminal, which has been
delayed for almost seven years, is based on a property barter
agreement signed in 1990.

Under the agreement, the municipality will grant PT Rodial
Eron the 3.5 hectares of land where the current Pulogadung bus
terminal stands. The company planned to use the land for shopping
and office complexes.

Once the Pulogebang terminal is completed, PT Rodial Eron will
also be given the right to manage the new terminal for 30 years,
including commercial areas.

The seven-year delay has caused the company's investment
commitments to swell from Rp 7 billion (US$2.37 million) to Rp
110.6 billion.

Out of the Rp 110.6 billion, about Rp 23.7 billion is set
aside for land procurement and Rp 86 billion for construction.
Pulogadung terminal's value is estimated at Rp 38.5 billion.

The Pulogebang terminal is billed to be the first modern
terminal in the country where there will be no ticket brokers
because only passengers will be allowed to enter departure or
arrival platforms.

Per hour, the terminal is designed to accommodate 400 city
buses from 50 routes and 300 intercity buses from 51 routes.
(ste)