Soldiers to have $7m shopping center
Soldiers to have $7m shopping center
JAKARTA (JP): The construction of an Rp 18-billion (US$7.64
million) shopping center to serve mainly soldiers started at the
Marine Corps complex in Cilandak, South Jakarta, yesterday.
The 20-square-meter building will stand on one hectare of land
owned by the Marine Corps. It will have three stories and a
basement, said the project's owner, H. Ketut Abdurrahman
Masagung, president of Graha Citra Herodiza.
The shopping center will offer discount prices for soldiers,
Ketut said.
The construction was launched by Navy Chief of Staff Rear
Admiral Arief Kushariadi.
In his speech Adm. Arief said the Plaza Cilandak would be a
shopping, recreation, and sports center. He said a similar
project had been set up in Surabaya.
"Besides serving soldiers and their families with low-price
goods, the plaza will also be opened to public," he said.
The sports facilities are also aimed at helping Indonesia's
preparation for next year's South-East Asia Games in Jakarta.
Graha Citra Herodiza, which is owned by Ketut Masagung and
Ronny N. Hendropriyono, will build the plaza in cooperation with
the Marines Corps.
The center will be jointly managed with the Marine Corps for
29 years and then the agreement will be reconsidered, said Djohan
Pahlawan, the director of the company.
In this cooperation the Marines Corps is represented by its
cooperative Puskopal Mar.
A similar shopping center, worth Rp 65 billions, is now being
built at Cijantung, East Jakarta, in a cooperation with the
Army's elite special force, Kopassus.
Ketut Masagung said 20 percent of his investment was fresh
funds which would be used for the foundation work.
"We will try to borrow funds for the construction work from a
state-owned bank, but we don't know for sure which bank it will
be," he said.
The profit from this cooperation will be divided equally
between the company and the Marines Corps, Ketut said.
A marine, Sugianto, said he was happy about the new project.
"We need an entertainment center like this after long strenuous
days of physical drilling".
He said the plaza was also good because he would not need to
go far to buy equipment for his office. (05)