Tangerang to build haj dormitory near year
Tangerang to build haj dormitory near year
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
The Tangerang municipal administration plans to build a haj
dormitory on 14 hectares of land in Belendung subdistrict, Batu
Ceper district, next year, less than one kilometer from the
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
"We picked the location to make it easy for the haj pilgrims
to reach the airport. Currently, they have to go back and forth
between Tangerang and Jakarta's haj dormitory in Pondok Gede,
East Jakarta, which may take two hours for one trip," Tangerang
mayor Wahidin Halim said on Monday.
He said if the construction of the haj dormitory could be
completed late in 2006, Tangerang residents could save money and
time since they would have to pay less for transportation and
could avoid a 30-kilometer journey from Tangerang to Pondok Gede
starting 2007.
"Besides, the new haj dormitory would also benefit local
residents who can start businesses selling the pilgrims' daily
necessities," he added.
Wahidin explained that the construction of the haj dormitory
for the municipality had nothing to do with the planned
construction of the Banten provincial haj dormitory in Curug
district, which had been long postponed.
The provincial project was given to the Tangerang regency
administration.
"It's not that we're competing ... the municipality made the
project plan in 2000," Wahidin said, adding that the fund would
be taken from the next year's budget as 49 percent of the 2005
budget had been allocated to build and renovate 221 schools.
The Tangerang regency administration had also planned to build
a haj dormitory to accommodate all Banten provincial haj
pilgrims. The planned location is on 12 hectares of land in Curug
that currently belongs to property developer Lippo Karawaci.
The regental officials said that the developer would donate
the property to the administration.
Although there were reports of an approval given by the
Ministry of Religious Affairs who had also disbursed money for
the construction, the Tangerang regency had yet to start the
project.