Scratch-to-win parking system being studied
Scratch-to-win parking system being studied
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has yet to give the green light to a parking system involving prizes which was proposed by a private company.
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja told reporters yesterday that his subordinates are still studying the proposal which offers a system that can increase city revenues from the parking sector.
"I have not as yet received any results from my subordinates, so I have not yet approved the proposal," Surjadi said.
Surjadi added he would not comment further until he receives a complete report on the proposal from his subordinates.
Speaker of the City Council M.H. Ritonga said the city administration should carefully study the proposal to find out whether or not the system would have any negative impact on society.
"The city administration should study the proposal as well as opinions which are either against the proposal or in favor of it, in an effort to avoid any negative impacts," Ritonga told reporters yesterday.
PT Ikabina Karya Sukses, a private company, proposed the prize-parking system to the city administration in an effort to increase city revenues as well as to improve the parking management system in the city.
The proposal has triggered controversy, with city councilors and Minister of Social Services Inten Soeweno saying that this kind of system would be just another form of the now-banned SDSB national lottery.
The management of the company has denied the claim, saying that the prizes are merely meant to encourage people to pay parking fees.
If approved, vehicle owners could win prizes varying from candy to household appliances and cars, with scratch-to-win parking tickets.
The management claims that their proposed prize-parking system would contribute Rp 25.9 billion (US$11.77 million) to the city administration every year if approved.
The city parking authority, BP Parkir, has repeatedly come up short because of "leaks" in its financial management. The municipality set a target of Rp 14.6 billion from parking fees in the 1994/95 fiscal year, which ends on March 31. But in the nine months up to December, BP Parkir has only managed to raise Rp 9 billion and is likely to fall short once again. In 1993/94, BP Parkir managed to collect Rp 9 billion, well below the Rp 11.6 billion target.
Ritonga said, the city administration should set up a clear- cut parking system in the city as soon as possible.
"A special team to conduct parking research should work as quickly as possible, no matter who runs the parking management in the city," he said.
Recently, Governor Surjadi appointed City Secretary Harun Al Rasyid to lead a team assigned to solve the parking problems in the city and to propose a new system. (yns)