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)