Three city gas stations to be relocated this year
Three city gas stations to be relocated this year
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration will revoke the
operation permits of three gas stations and relocate them to make
way for parks.
The city secretary's assistant for development and
administration, Prawoto Danoemihardjo, said yesterday that the
sites where the gas stations now stand were actually designated
as green areas.
The gas stations on Jl. Musi and Jl. Fahruddin in Central
Jakarta and Jl. Kopi in West Jakarta have been operational since
the 1970s.
Prawoto said the gas stations were initially given the permits
for free in line with the administration's effort to better serve
the public.
He said he had no idea what month the relocations will take
place and where the stations will be relocated.
"It's not an easy job for us to relocate gas stations from
sites earmarked as green areas. The project may disturb gasoline
distribution in the city," he said.
Thirty five of a total of 153 gas stations in the city are
located on plots of land designated as green areas.
"I predict it will take 10 years for the administration to
have all 35 stations relocated," he said. The administration has
to date never relocated any gas station.
Scarce
Land for new gas stations has become scarce in the city,
Prawoto said, adding that the administration prefers to issue
permits for gas stations of a smaller size. "A gas station
covering a 300 square meters plot may be more efficient in land
use and more attractive to investors," he said.
All two-pump gas stations in the city cover large areas, while
a 300-square-meter station has only one pump.
Referring to data of state-owned oil company Pertamina,
Prawoto said the city ideally should have at least 280 gas
stations. There are now around 2.5 million vehicles in Jakarta.
The relocation of the gas stations is part of the
administration's efforts to increase the city's green areas.
The city is building a 15-hectare urban forest and park in
Srengseng, West Jakarta, which is expected to be completed next
year.
Ideally, 30 percent of Jakarta, which covers a total of 65,000
square kilometers, should be green areas. The city is home to
nine million people.
Latest records indicate that the city has only 7,800 hectares
of green areas, including 465 small parks. (yns)