YLKI balks at plan to hike toll road fees

YLKI balks at plan to hike toll road fees

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI)
expressed strong objection on Thursday to the government's plan
to raise tolls on several tollways in the country, including the
Jagorawi toll road.

YLKI chairwoman Indah Suksmaningsih said the increase would
not only affect car owners but also passengers of public buses
because public transportation drivers would "illegally" increase
their fares.

"The plan reflects that the government has no sense at all of
the economic crisis," she said in a statement.

According to Indah, the government's reason that current tolls
could no longer cover the soaring operational costs of tollways
could not be accepted since tollway operators never publicly
announce their earnings.

YLKI also regretted the House of Representatives' decision to
approve the plan to raise tolls without involving the public, she
said.

"The plan should be postponed until people recover from the
crippling and prolonged economic crisis," Indah said.

On Wednesday, House Commission IV for public works and
transportation approved the government's plan to raise road
tolls.

"We approved the plan after seeing the condition of toll road
operators. We were not forced by any party to do so," commission
head Burhanuddin Napitupulu said after a hearing with Minister of
Public Works Rachmadi Bambang Sumadhijo.

Burhanuddin said the House supported the plan mainly based on
recent visits they made to several toll roads and the offices of
toll road operators across the country.

The House members, he argued, found that toll road operators,
including PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada, a company controlled
by former president Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardijanti
"Tutut" Rukmana, were finding it difficult to cover maintenance
costs of the roads due to the increasing price of construction
materials.

He said the House also approved the plan since tolls had not
been raised since 1992.

Minister Rachmadi said the government was still calculating
details of the toll hike, including those for the Jakarta-Merak
and the Jagorawi toll roads. (jun)