Subway project waits for presidential decree

Subway project waits for presidential decree

JAKARTA (JP): Deputy Governor for Economic and Development
Affairs TB. M. Rais said yesterday the presidential decree for
the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project had not yet been issued.

He said the presidential decree would be the project's
operational guide. MRT is a planned subway from Blok M in South
Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta.

"The mega project has gained political support. The US$1.5
billion project cannot begin without the presidential decree,"
Rais said after awarding trophies to several city administration
offices, courts and military offices for their achievements in
cleanliness.

"I hope the presidential decree will be issued soon. The
sooner the better for such a project," he said.

He said he did not know why the decree had not yet been
issued.

The city administration planned to start the project in
January. Rais did not say if the start would be delayed.

Rais said the project management unit, in cooperation with the
National Development Planning Board and the Jakarta
administration, had finished most of the project details
including the basic design.

The project's steering committee, chaired by Minister of
Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, would meet one more time to
complete other details, he said.

In February, President Soeharto instructed Minister of
Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto to build the subway and an
elevated railway system to help ease Jakarta's traffic
congestion.

The elevated railway will be a part of three-level
transportation system which will be built by PT Citra Lamtoro
Gung Persada, owned by Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, the President's
eldest daughter.

The decision to build both ended a lengthy controversy on
whether an underground or elevated system should serve Jakarta's
nine million people.

The subway contract will be tendered, while the elevated
railway contract will go to Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada. The
company will finance the three-level transportation system: an
elevated railway, toll road and arterial road.

Several consortia from France, Canada, Japan, the United
States, Germany and Australia are reportedly interested in
tendering for the subway contract.

The three-level transportation system will link Cinere and
Kebayoran Lama, both in South Jakarta. The elevated railway
service will be operated by the state railway company Perumka in
a joint scheme in which the president will be from Perumka and
the financial director from PT Citra Lamtoro Gung. (ste)