Street cafes get a spot in Kemayoran
Street cafes get a spot in Kemayoran
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration will allow street cafes
to set up shop temporarily on a Central Jakarta site earmarked
for development of the world's tallest tower.
Governor Sutiyoso said on Wednesday the decision was made
because construction of Menara Jakarta in Kemayoran had been
postponed indefinitely due to the monetary crisis. A large hole
filled with water where excavations on the building's basement
had begun is the only sign of construction.
"As we can't predict when the tower's construction work will
resume, it's better to make use of it than leaving it as an idle
plot," he told reporters after a meeting with representatives of
the tower developer, PT Menara Jakarta, at City Hall.
The governor said it was decided during the meeting that
construction of the tower would be conducted by the company in
cooperation with the administration.
Although he expressed hope construction would begin again once
the economy had recovered, Sutiyoso begged off on giving a firm
date. "We are still waiting for the company's official letter and
presentation on the project."
Construction on the 558-meter-high tower was officially
started by then minister/state secretary Moerdiono in August last
year.
Designated to occupy 40,550 square meters of land, it was set
to cost US$560 million and be four-and-a-half meters higher than
the world's tallest tower, the Toronto Tower.
PT Menara Jakarta is 51 percent owned by PT Indocitra Graha
Bawana, a consortium led by former president Soeharto's cousin
Sudwikatmono in cooperation with fellow tycoons Prayogo Pangestu
and Henry Pribadi.
Forty percent of Menara's stake is shared by state-owned
telecommunications companies PT Telkom and PT Indosat. The
remainder belongs to a foundation run by the state television
network TVRI.
Planned facilities include a revolving restaurant,
multifunctional rooms for seminars and entertainment functions,
broadcasting rooms and the Indonesian World Trade Center.
The basement will feature a U-shaped shopping center and
parking lots.
The project was publicly announced by then minister of
information Harmoko in August 1995.
The governor said on Wednesday the cafes would ring the water-
filled hole, which would also be equipped with a stage.
"The plot is open for everyone," he added.
Utilizing the site for the eateries, currently hugely popular
in the city, will provide benefits of job opportunities and
prevent the land from becoming abandoned, Sutiyoso believed.
"It is also expected there will be income from the cafe owners
which could later be used for maintenance funds for the area," he
said. (ind)