Council tells the city to save money for roadwork

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 07/24/2008 10:40 AM | City

The City Council has recommended the Jakarta administration to divert Rp 2 billion (US$218,126), budgeted for the clear-up of the Sekretaris river in West Jakarta, for road repairs.

Raja Natal Sitinjak, a member of the council's Commission D on development, said Wednesday that the administration should allocate the money to road repairs, as this needed funding.

"The administration would not be able to finish the rehabilitation of the Sekretaris river this year, but it has allocated the whole 2008 cost of Rp 4 billion for this," he said, during a plenary session on 2008 city budget revisions.

The administration has reported during these discussions with the council that it could only finish half of the river project, requiring only Rp 2 billion, or half the budget.

"The administration should reallocate the remaining Rp 2 billion for road repairs, as the budget for this was too small," Raja said.

The administration had done little work on the southern part of the river, which often flooded residential areas, he said.

"Residents living in Pesanggrahan (South Jakarta) have complained their areas are frequently flooded because (the administration) has done nothing on the southern part of the river," Raja said.

However, after a session with the council, Deputy Governor Prijanto said the administration preferred to reallocate the fund to flood prevention work.

"We may use the money to acquire land in Marunda (in North Jakarta) to build a polder system," he said.

The administration might also reallocate funds to build a polder system in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, he said.

The commission's chairman, Sayogo Hendrosubroto, said he welcomed the administration's idea of reallocating the money to flood prevention programs.

"We need more funds for road repairs. The administration is incapable of finishing the repairs of pumps used for flood control," he told The Jakarta Post.

He earlier said the funds allocated for road repairs in the 2008 city budget were insufficient to cover permanent repairs.

"Permanent road repairs are very costly. The city is incapable of securing enough money for this," he said.

Earlier, deputy head of Jakarta Public Works Agency Budi Widiantoro, said Rp 60.5 billion had been allocated this year for road repairs.

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