Old trucks contribute to W. Jakarta waste buildup

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Some 250 cubic meters of garbage in West Jakarta is not being transported to temporary dump sites each day because of the poor condition of the municipality's garbage trucks.

As many as 82 of the municipality's 164 garbage trucks are more than 15 years old, Amir Sagala, an executive officer with the West Jakarta Sanitation Subagency, said Monday.

"We are not supposed to use trucks which are more than 10 years old," he said.

Trucks in proper working order are generally able to carry between six and 16 cubic meters of garbage, depending on their size.

Households and factories in West Jakarta produce approximately 5,500 cubic meters of trash each day.

Amir said some of the 250 cubic meters of garbage left lying around each day would be turned into compost or be naturally destroyed.

"However, some of it is thrown into rivers," he said.

He said his office had just finished constructing five temporary garbage disposal centers in the Kembangan, Palmerah, Cengkareng, Kebon Jeruk and Kalideres districts.

He said each dump site was equipped with sophisticated and environmentally friendly machines.

However, Amir said his office was still not sure when the dump sites could be used.

"We are now giving training to our officials on how to operate the machines," he said.

Amir said the five new centers would accelerate the garbage transportation process to the final dump site in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi.

The municipality currently operates about 30 temporary dump sites.

To handle garbage in the area, the subagency has 724 employees, including drivers and street sweepers.

Several neighborhood units in busy areas such as Kota and Kembangan also employ people to transport garbage using carts.

Zakar, a Kembangan resident, said five workers transported trash in his neighborhood using carts every two days. He said he paid the workers Rp 20,000 (US$2.1) each month to collect rubbish from his fruit stall.

"But other residents who do not own businesses pay Rp 10,000 monthly," he said.

He said he did not mind paying the workers as they worked hard transporting trash.

"They offer a good service. There are piles of trash in my neighborhood."

Zakar said he and his neighbors often also burnt their trash.

"The trash just turns solid or blows away," he said. (ewd)

Gas stations to be moved

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: The administration plans to relocate 27 gas stations located in various green areas around the city.

The head of the Jakarta Parks Agency, Sarwo Handayani, said two of the stations to be relocated were on Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin in South Jakarta.

"Green areas are supposed to be free of concrete buildings," she said Monday, as quoted by tempointeraktif.

She said the agency had allocated Rp 2 billion (approximately US$210,000) for the relocation program.

The agency has asked for Rp 150 billion from the City Council to finance various programs this year.

Bajaj expanding business

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Motorcycle maker PT Bajaj Auto Indonesia is trying to increase its sales of sports motorcycles in Indonesia by launching new products this year, with an intention of establishing a new production plant next year.

Sales and marketing director Dharmesh K. Banerjee told The Jakarta Post at the launching of a new product, Pulsar 200 cc DTS-i, on Monday that the company would launch two more new products in the second quarter.

To support the marketing of the new products, he said, the company, whose headquarters is located in India, would spend US$6 million.

Bajaj also planned to build its first manufacturing plant in Indonesia.

"Maybe in 2009," said Barnejee, adding that the company was currently operating an assembly plant in Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java.

Banerjee further said that this year the company would build 60 new showrooms nationwide, adding its current 40 showrooms in, among others, Greater Jakarta, Surabaya of East Java, Bandung of West Java, Semarang of Central Java, Yogyakarta, Medan of North Sumatra, Jambi, Pekanbaru of Riau, Palembang of South Sumatra, Padang of West Sumatra and Lampung.

Since the launch of its first product in Indonesia in November, 2006, Bajaj had sold 10,000 motorcycles, at around Rp 15.5 million to Rp 16.5 million each, as of the end of 2007.

With the launch of the three new products, Banerjee said, Bajaj expected to more than double its sales this year.

President director K.S. Grihapathy said that Bajaj, therefore, would develop brand awareness among potential consumers.

"In few years to come, we'll be focusing on brand building, service network and distribution to tap Indonesia's sport motorcycle market," he said.

According to the Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI), last year's national sales of sports motorcycles rose by 18.3 percent to 379,039 units from 320,359 in the previous year.

Grihapathy estimated that based on the size of the national market, the country could absorb the monthly sales of some 5,000 motorcycles with a price tag of about Rp 20 million.

"Our new product, Pulsar 200, is priced at Rp 20 million. Hopefully, we will get a 10 percent share of that market of 5,000 units," he added.(nkn)

Yudhoyono to commission Kutoarjo-Yogyakarta double track railway

Purworejo (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to commission a double-track railway link between Kutoarjo in Purworejo district, Central Java, and Yogyakarta on Tuesday.

"The president and his entourage will arrive here from Yogyakarta on Tuesday to commission the double railway track at Kutoarjo station," state railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) sopkesman Noor Hamidi said here on Monday.

He said the 64-kilometer double railway track from Kutoarjo to Yogyakarta was constructed from 2004 to 2007 at a total cost of Rp900 billion provided by the Japanese government through the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

According to Noor Hamidi, the construction of the double railway track was intended to improve railway services by increasing train traffic frequency.

He said the president on the occasion would also commission an electric train depot of PT KAI`s Jabotabek (Jakarta-Bogor-Tangerang-Bekasi) division in Depok, West Java, by a teleconference facility at Kutoarjo station.

"The president will sign two plaques and then conduct a teleconference with Depok," he said, adding that after the inauguration, the head of state and his entourage would return to Yogyakarta by a special train.

Jakarta to punish reckless ad firms

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The property management and control agency is set to hand down punishment to two companies for their negligence in constructing two billboards recently felled by strong winds.

Agency head Hari Sasongko said Saturday the agency had determined negligence in the billboards' construction, based on its findings and reports from the companies.

"They have violated a governor decree. We'll freeze their working licenses for a year," he said.

"We're still preparing documents declaring their punishment, which they will know within a month."

On Nov. 14, a billboard fell on a taxi in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, injuring the driver and two passengers, and another fell on top of an internet cafe and telecommunication kiosk in Setiabudi, South Jakarta.

One fallen billboard near the Grand Indonesia traffic circle disrupted traffic.

Hari said the agency was carrying out legal proceedings only against the two companies who built the billboards in Kebayoran Baru and Setiabudi, exempting the one responsible for the fallen billboard near the Grand Indonesia traffic circle.

"The ... billboard near the Grand Indonesia traffic circle is out of our territory," he said.

"A government regulation allows billboard construction companies to place their temporary ads for a few weeks without being required to ask for an agency-issued license," he said.

The agency has issued 700 business licenses for construction companies since 2002, 400 of which were extended.

Construction companies buy licenses from the agency to erect outdoor advertisement structures in Jakarta and sell the space to advertising companies.

Following the November accidents, the agency planned to revise requirements for building billboards.

In the future, a billboard must be able to withstand winds of 75 to 100 kilometers per hour, higher than old requirement of 40 to 50 kilometers per hour.

Hari said the agency would issue a decree for the future benchmark.

"An advisory team that works for the agency to oversee property structures will hopefully finish drafting the decree within a month," he said.

The agency also planned to require construction companies to replace their single-pole billboards with double-pole billboards to make them stronger.

However, Hari said the plan would likely take months of deliberation among the agency and other stakeholders, including the city spatial planning agency and the city revenue agency.

"We need to find a way to strictly implement safety standards, as well as keep the city's revenue from ads from decreasing," he said.

Airport railway to finish by 2009

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post) : A railway project to Soekarno-Hatta airport is scheduled to finish by the end of 2009, an official said.

"The design is almost done. We're now waiting for the detailed planning," the president director of PT Railing, Masdhratul Hidayat, said Friday.

PT Railing, a subsidiary of the railway company PT Kereta Api, and the airport operator PT Angkasa Pura, are managing the project. After the details are finished, PT Railing will secure funding.

"We expect the funding will be disbursed by March or April," he said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

"We can't comment on the budget needed for building the railway track as we are still calculating it," he added.

The railway track will pass several train stations, namely Manggarai, Dukuh Atas and Angke. The track will be an alternative means of public transportation to and from the airport besides buses and taxis.

"Each year, 30 million people flock to the airport. So the need for alternative transportation is also increasing," Masdhratul said.

Once pristine, Cisadane river now a muddy swamp

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Once a popular destination for fishing and recreation, the Cisadane River is a shadow of its former self these days.

Many parts of the river -- which has not been dredged for 30 years and looks more like a muddy swamp -- are heavily polluted with domestic and industrial waste.

"It is not hard to imagine what could happen during the rainy season," State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said Thursday.

He said the fact the river had been allowed to deteriorate to such an extent meant floods were more likely to occur in areas it ran through. He said the river was so polluted that revitalization efforts would take up to 20 years.

The minister planted trees near the banks of the river during a visit to the area Thursday. He was accompanied by his wife Erna Wetoelar, who is a former regional infrastructure minister, and Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiah.

Stretching some 115 kilometers in total, the Cisadane River flows from Pasar Buncit village in Bogor to Tanjung Burung in Teluk Naga district.

Sedimentation in the river has resulted in its water levels being lower than average in recent years, especially during the rainy season.

Floods that inundated parts of Tangerang earlier this year were caused to a large extent by the river's inability to handle a surplus of water.

Banten's Water Resources Management Center recorded that a 1.5-kilometer stretch of the river between the old Cisadane bridge on Jl. Merdeka in Tangerang and the Pasar Baru dam is almost entirely clogged with mud.

The area was last dredged in 1976 with assistance from the World Bank.

After the river was dredged, its width measured 80 meters on average, with a depth of seven meters. Today the river is only two meters deep in parts.

"In normal conditions, river sediment reaches 400 particles per minute (PPM) on average. But during floods, sediment levels increase to 1,450 PPM," the center's coordinator Djoko Kirmanto, who is also the Public Works Minister, said.

Djoko said ideally the river should be dredged every five years to control sedimentation levels.

Sedimentation has also caused the quality of water in the river to deteriorate significantly.

Despite the fact the river is polluted with industrial and domestic waste, people still use it as a water source to meet their daily needs.

Water suppliers PDAM Tirta Kerta Raharja and PDAM Tirta Benteng, owned by the Tangerang regency and Tangerang municipality respectively, depend on the Cisdane River for their water supplies.

After her visit to the area Thursday, Chosiah said her administration would revitalize the Cisadane and Cimanceuri rivers, both of which flow through Tangerang.

"We are yet to allocate any funds from the provincial budget for revitalization efforts because we are still waiting to receive our budget allocation from the central government, as promised last year," she said

Garuda to open direct flight Medan-Chennai route in June

New Delhi (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s national flag-carrier Garuda is to start a direct flight service between Medan in North Sumatra and Chennai in India next June, a spokesman said.

"After we have completed the process to obtain permission from the Indian government, we hope to begin flying the route in June," Garuda`s vice director for networks management, Risnaldi, said here.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of a partnership conference organized by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in New Delhi, he said more than 83,000 Indian tourists visited Indonesia in 2007, an increase of 54 percent from 2006. Some 10 million Indians travel abroad every year.

Meanwhile, the director of overseas promotions at Indonesia`s culture and tourism ministry, Tatang Rukhiyat, said his department would open two representative offices in India, namely in New Delhi and Mumbai, to facilitate promotion of Indonesian tourism.

The two representative offices would begin operating next February.

The Indonesian government had also made its visa-on-arrival facility available to Indian nationals to encourage the Indian tourist flow to Indonesia, Tatang said.

Car sales bounced back in 2007, rose by 36.2% from 2006

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After a gloomy 2006, car sales rebounded in 2007 with a total sale of 434,449 units or up by 36.2 percent from the 318,904 units sold in the previous year.

Once again, Toyota ruled the market in 2007, selling 150,677 units -- an increase from the 123,703 units the company sold in 2006, the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo) reported Wednesday.

Gaikindo chairman Bambang Trisulo reported the Japan-based company had dominated the market for more than 10 years, taking 40 percent of the total market share in 2007, followed by Mitsubishi with 20 percent.

Mitsubishi sold a total of 61,547 units, followed by Suzuki with 58,095 units and Daihatsu with 51,957 units, with the combined remainder registering a total of 51,703 units.

Bambang said automotive sales reached a peak in November last year, with 45,827 units sold within the month. The lowest sales were recorded in July, at 21,891 units.

He added the rise in car sales last year was supported by improving economic indicators; an inflation rate that reached 6.59 percent, the Rupiah currency stable against the US dollar between Rp 9,200 to Rp 9,400 and a reduced Bank Indonesia rate which remained at 8.0 percent in December.

In 2006, car sales dropped by 40.3 percent from 533,841 units in 2005 due to a 87.5-percent increase in the price of fuel in October 2005. The fuel hike not only devastated the public's purchasing power and consumer confidence, but also made 2006 the worst car-sales year in the last five years.

"The price of the product, its resale value and easy access to spare parts are the key factors that customers' consider before buying a car," Bambang said.

Gaikindo reported the best-selling car type in Indonesia last year was the 4x2 non-sedan, which includes varieties such as the 4x2 low multipurpose vehicle (MPV), which is similar to a van, the 4x2 medium MPV and the 4x2 high sport utility vehicle (SUV).

An SUV is a 4x2 non-sedan car that combines the towing capacity of a pickup truck with the passenger-carrying space of a minivan, together with on or off-road ability.(ndr)

New airport planned for West Sumatra

PADANG, West Sumatra (Jakarta Post) : A new airport serving domestic flights is scheduled to be built in the West Sumatra regency of Dharmasraya, about a five-hour drive from Padang.

Head of the Dharmasraya Transportation and Tourism Office, A. Ghani, said Monday a feasibility study for the project was completed at the end of last year, and the airport was expected to be operational by 2010.

"It is now in the process of getting approval from the Transportation Ministry," Ghani said.

The airport, with a planned two-kilometer runway, will be built at a cost of about Rp 400 billion (US$44.4 million) at Kenagarian Siguntur, in Pulau Punjung district, near Batang Hari River.

"Initially we just wanted an airstrip, but because the location was considered strategic, it will be developed as a commercial airport," Ghani said.

Dharmasraya regency was established in 2004. It was previously part of Sawahlunto Sijunjung regency. The regency, located near the border with Jambi province, produces rubber, palm oil and coal.

Bogor administration installs device to monitor air quality

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

In an effort to minimize air pollution, the Bogor administration installed an air quality monitoring device in its office complex Wednesday.

"It will help us monitor and control air pollution and people will be able to find out how bad or good air quality is each day," the head of the Environment and Sanitation Agency, Yus Herdius, said.

The device, which cost Rp 400 million (approximately US$42,500), was purchased by the West Java administration as part of the province's environmental program.

The automatic device works in real time.

Yus said the system reads data according to the Air Pollutant Standard Index (ISPU), which indicates air quality levels at a particular time and location.

"We know that as the population increases and economic development continues, air pollution will worsen.

"Although we have tried to prevent air pollution in many ways, including planting trees and using environmentally friendly fuels, the monitoring device will help us decide on the most effective policies to control air pollution," he said.

He said the administration planned to procure more of the devices, which would be used in areas prone to air pollution and traffic jams.

Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto said the monitoring device could be used to warn residents when air quality was bad in the city.

He said the administration had issued many regulations to reduce air pollution, such as a ban on smoking in certain places and mandatory emissions tests for official cars.

However, he said some of his subordinates had not complied with the regulations.

"As city officials we should set a good example to residents. I will take back official cars if they don't pass emissions testing," he said.

Angke station squatters begin to dismantle homes

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dozens of squatters around Angke railway station in West Jakarta have started dismantling their plywood shelters as state railway company PT Kereta Api plans an area-wide eviction on Thursday.

On Tuesday squatters took apart four shelters, while two had been dismantled the previous day. All of around 100 huts in the area are expected to be dismantled by the owners within two days.

Narni, a squatter, said Tuesday it took her husband about four hours to take apart their plywood shelter, which was about 20 square meters.

"I have moved my valuables, like television, VCD player and mattress, to an empty warehouse nearby," said the mother of three children.

Narni, whose husband sells chicken in a nearby market, said she had not yet found an affordable new place for her family.

"I have seen a house not far from here but I don't have enough money to rent it," she said, adding that it cost Rp 3.5 million (US$372) per year.

Narni's neighbor Idris said he built his shelter, which also served as a food stall, in the area in 2005. He said that from the beginning the railway company had warned him of the possible eviction.

"People already understand that setting up huts here is illegal and we are ready to leave if the officials evict us at any time," he said.

He said he preferred to dismantle his shelter by himself because he did not want officers to bulldoze it along with his belongings such as television and clothes.

"Besides, I don't want to argue with the officers during the eviction," he said, adding he would dismantle his shelter tomorrow.

A railway company spokesman, Akhmad Sujadi, said his office planned to deploy around 500 officers to clear the structures around Angke station if the squatters had not dismantled them by Thursday.

"We plan to develop a new route carrying passengers from Manggarai in South Jakarta to Soekarno-Hatta airport, passing through Angke station," he said.

The company, which has recently opened new routes in an effort to ease chronic traffic congestion in the city, will start the construction in March.

He said his office told squatters in Angke about the eviction plan last month and had issued two warning letters dated Jan. 3 and 14.

"We will provide them with a free ride if they want to return to their hometown," he said.

The railway company plans to evict people from illegal shelters around 14 train stations across the city by the end of this year in efforts to meet safety standards that prohibit any construction within 5.5 meters of the railway.

Many people have established their shelters as close as 20 centimeters from the railways.

After it does away with the illegal shelters, the company will refurbish the train stations and build parking lots. (ewd)

City wants prison terms for safety violators

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city property management and control agency said Tuesday it wanted to amplify punishments from fines to imprisonment, for owners of buildings which failed to meet safety standards.

The agency's head Hari Sasongko said the agency was preparing a set of regulations to deter violators and others involved in the making of faulty building designs, following a string of cases pertaining to building safety standard requirements.

"I want violators, including the professionals who are responsible for building designs, to be subject to imprisonment," Harry told reporters at City Hall.

Imprisonment, he said, would be a bigger source of embarrassment for violators since fines had failed to prevent violators from repeating their mistakes.

The agency reported that approximately 80 percent of around 700 buildings in Jakarta at least eight stories high, were yet to receive mandatory safety clearance.

Hari said a regulation on building safety standards already carried both prison terms and fines as punishment.

Until now, however, no violators had ever been imprisoned, he said. In the past, whenever prosecutors had demanded imprisonment for violators, he said, the court had put the case 'on the back burner'.

"In the end, such cases vaporize and disappear from the courts," he said.

The most recent case that came under the agency spotlight occurred Dec. 11, 2007 when 19 employees of a Carrefour hypermarket in South Jakarta were rushed to hospital after inhaling excessive amounts of carbon monoxide (CO).

The incident had been caused by a problem with the power supply which caused the shop ventilation system to fail.

The following day, the city administration ordered the closure of the France-based retailer outlet and its basement parking area below Ratu Plaza on Jl. Sudirman, South Jakarta.

The agency later found the two generators used to back up the power supply at the hypermarket could supply up to 1,000 kilo volt ampere (kVA) each "but the actual output was only 300 kVA each".

"If the machines were working properly the power supply and ventilation would be fine," Hari said.

The agency have sealed the parking lot beneath the hypermarket indefinitely, until the store purchases replacement generators.

Another incident involving building safety standards occurred Dec. 6 last year when a sedan smashed through a one-meter-high concrete barrier on the spiral ramp of Permata Hijau International Trade Center parking garage, in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta.

The sedan was on the fourth floor of the garage when the driver reportedly lost control and the car rolled backwards through the wall.

Half of the car protruded from the ramp, four stories up, and sent a shower of debris onto the windshield of a sport utility vehicle below.

The incident, which did not result in injuries, was the second of its kind after a similar fatal accident May 17 last year. The May accident killed a family of three, whose car plummeted from the sixth floor of the same parking garage, after breaching another faulty barrier.

Fauzi scolds office over 100-day plan failures

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With Tuesday marking Governor Fauzi Bowo's 100th day in office at City Hall, he may decide to cut back the administration's organizational structure due to the poor performance of some working units over that term.

"I found that several units were ineffective. They must be warned," he said Monday.

Fauzi added that he was considering cutting back the organizational structure due to its poor performance.

"For example, there were units that closed down during a holiday, even though the public needed the services. We will straighten things up," he said.

He said the administration still had a lot of 'homework' to do.

"We also found several units had problems with internal coordination. To solve that, we've made an academic analysis of each unit. The analysis will be used to organize the administration over the next five years," he said.

Fauzi, who refused to give the names of the units or other details, said he expected the working units would perform better this year.

He said that to improve performance, he had made various attempts, including making working contracts between the administration and the units, adding that he would renew the contracts for this year.

"Those who fail to meet the target will receive a warning," he said.

Fauzi, elected on Oct.8, made a 100-day action plan. It comprises 19 areas ranging from the reduction of traffic congestion caused by busway lane construction, to the development of the Mass Rapid Transit (monorail) project, flood mitigation and providing better public facilities for disabled people.

"The administration's performance cannot be judged from its first 100-day action plan alone," he said.

Opinions were divided as urban experts and observers commented on the performance of the new administration.

Alwi Shahab, a historian and avid observer of Jakarta, said Fauzi's 100-day plan to improve Jakarta was commendable despite not being well delegated to lower-level officials.

An urban planning expert from Trisakti University, Yayat Supriatna, said it was difficult for the public to evaluate the governor's 100-day performance, as the plans' targets were unclear. Fauzi Bowo had shown improvement at an internal and horizontal level, but failed to tackle the city's crucial problems, he said.

A survey made by the Strategic Development and Policy Study Center last week said the administration needed to coordinate its working units and institutions in order to meet the public needs.

Husin Yazid, the center's director, said 36 percent of the respondents were sure that the governor could carry out the planned programs, which would improve the quality of life in Jakarta.

"Most respondents believed the governor could carry out plans in reducing traffic congestion, disaster management, disease control, health and education service programs and waste management," Husin said.

Previously, Fauzi said the plan was based on a mission to create 'good governance', good service, people empowerment as well as the development of Jakarta as a dynamic city.

"The plan must be professional, accountable, transparent, participation building, responsive to the needs of the people and based on laws and rights equivalence" he said.

He also said there would be a 'reward and punishment' mechanism for administration officials. (tif)

New service for owners of fire extinguishers

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A fire safety and security products distribution company on Thursday launched a new service in Jakarta and eight other cities that will cut the time it takes residents to refill their fire extinguishers.

Gunnebo Indonesia, also known as PT Indolok Bakti Utama, has introduced 10 "refill cars" in Jakarta, Medan, Pekanbaru, Palembang, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Denpasar and Balikpapan, according to Shirley Tamtomo, an executive with the company.

Two of the cars will operate in Jakarta, and one each in the other eight cities.

"The cars will allow our company to do the refilling process without having to bring the extinguishers to the company's depository," Shirley said during a launch ceremony here for the new service.

"Customers only need to call us. Then we will come and do the refilling process on the spot."

Shirley said it used to take two to three days for the company to complete the entire refilling process, because it had to pick up the expired fire extinguishers from each customer, bring the extinguishers to the company's depository, refill the devices and deliver them back to the customers.

The refill cars are equipped with everything required for the refill process, and can serve different types of extinguishers, whether they use halotron, powder or foam.

"We will review the effectiveness of these cars within a year. If it is considered a success, then we will expand the car deployment to the other 25 company branches all over Indonesia," Shirley said.

The company's country manager, Hindra C. Kurniawan, said the firm had been established in Jakarta since 1972, and had around 40,000 to 50,000 customers, including factories, shopping centers, banks, hospitals, office buildings and hotels.

"Every year, we have between 3,000 and 4,000 new customers nationwide, with around 5,000 to 7,000 devices needed to be refilled every month," he said.

Shirley said fire extinguishers should be refilled at least every two years.

"Until now, we import the powder and foam medium (for extinguishers) from Spain, and the halotron from the United States. Refill prices depend on the medium and the device's size. For a two-kilogram powder refill, it will cost around Rp 100,000," Shirley said.

"There are also lots of people who have fire extinguishers, but not all of them know how to use them. Our trained employees will teach these people how to use and maintain the devices."

According to the city's fire agency, there were 853 fires in Jakarta last year, down from the 902 in 2006. Forty-five of the fires in 2007 occurred in high population density areas. (uwi/tif)

Indonesia`s Lion Air to buy more Boeing 737-900s

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia's largest private airline, Lion Air, plans to buy more Boeing 737-900 series jets, to support its regional expansion to a number of countries, including Australia, its top executive said on Tuesday.

Rusdi Kirana, Lion Air's president director, told Reuters the purchase would be in addition to 122 jets of the same type that the company had previously ordered from Boeing.

"We are planning to expand to other countries in the region. The previous order was not enough," Kirana said by telephone. He declined to disclose the number of additional jets the firm planned to buy or the value of the deal.

"I cannot give the numbers for now. The deal will be signed in February during the Singapore Airshow," he added.

Lion Air recently ordered an additional 22 Boeing Co 737-900 series planes as part of its expansion plans, lifting its total orders at the U.S. firm to 122 jets, with a total list price of $7 billion.

The carrier had said it was looking at possible expansion in six countries -- Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Australia.

"We are in the process of setting up our operation in Australia... We are planning to allocate six of our jets there catering to 10 cities," Kirana said referring to international flights from Indonesia to 10 Australian cities.

Lion has said it plans to raise up to $600 million to acquire stakes or set up new airlines in a number of Asian countries over the next five years.

The airline currently has a fleet of around 40 jets on 32 routes.

Lion Air has been aggressively expanding in Indonesia's fast-growing airline industry in a country of more than 220 million people spread across more than 17,000 islands.

The carrier is also expected sign a 10-year $1 billion contract next year with Delta Air Lines , under which the U.S airline will provide maintenance and services for itsfleet.

Indonesia's airline industry has grown rapidly since the government liberalised the sector after the financial crisis in the late 1990s.

But a series of accidents has raised questions over whether safety has been compromised and whether the infrastructure and personnel can cope with the huge increase.

It has also prompted ban from the European Union on Indonesian carriers flying to Europe.

There have been calls from some Indonesian officials to modernise ageing fleets to help improve safety.

Fauzi's 100-day plan lacks results: Historian

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Approaching the end of Governor Fauzi Bowo's first 100-day action plan, Jakartans were divided on how the city administration performed.

The plan, which spans from Oct. 8 to Jan. 15, comprises 19 areas ranging from the reduction of traffic congestion caused by busway lane construction, to the development of the Mass Rapid Transit (monorail) project, flood mitigation and providing better public facilities for disabled people.

Alwi Shahab, a historian and avid observer of Jakarta, said Fauzi's 100-day plan had not shown any significant results. However, he said, Fauzi's efforts to improve Jakarta were commendable.

"The problem is, his programs were not well delegated to lower-level officials. It made his plans ineffective," he told The Jakarta Post.

He said a plan would be remarkable if it was carried out by neighborhood and community units, involving residents.

Urban planning expert from Trisakti University, Yayat Supriatna, said it was difficult for the public to evaluate the governor's 100-day performance, as the plans' targets were unclear.

"Let's say the poverty level rose by 40 percent last year. If the administration had targeted to decrease that level, then it could be evaluated," he said.

Fauzi Bowo had shown improvement at an internal and horizontal level, but failed to tackle the city's crucial problems, Yayat said.

"Unlike former Governor Sutiyoso, Fauzi has shown a commitment to cooperate and coordinate with top leaders from Tangerang, Bogor and Bekasi in handling the flood problem," he said.

At an internal level, Fauzi had shown progress in the recruitment of new officials, he said.

"However, on a wider level, Jakartans have not really benefited from his programs," Yayat said.

The 100-day programs were just a beginning, he said. To know what Fauzi's next steps would be was the most important thing for now, Yayat said.

Unlike the urban experts and observers, many residents appeared not to know about Fauzi's 100-day plan.

"National issues like disasters have taken my attention more than the governor's programs," Olansons Girsang, a lecturer's assistant at University of Indonesia, said Saturday.

He said the 100-day plan was not well known, since it had not been well publicized by the government.

Andre Djarot, winner of the 2005 Abang Jakarta (Jakarta's youth tourism ambassador) award, also said the administration had failed to publicize it.

"In my opinion, people see the work merely as a continuation of Sutiyoso's programs," he told the Post.

The city administration had shown more progress than previously in handling the flood problem, but the traffic problem has worsened, Djarot said.

In fact very few Jakartans interviewed were familiar with the 100-day plan. When asked for their opinions on it, many chose to talk about getting a better representation of society in the administration.

A member of the public organization Betawi Consultative Body, Syahrul Kumala, said Saturday he hoped the governor would give priority to Betawi natives in electing staff for strategic positions.

"The governor should replace under-qualified officials with Betawi professionals," he told the Post.

Syahrul, however, did not explain what Fauzi had missed and needed to improve in his 100-day plan, nor did he mention any knowledge of its contents.

Another body member, identifying himself as only Taufik, like Syahrul said he wanted more ethnic representatives contributing to the making of bylaws.

As for the 100-day plan, he only said, "It's good, I give it my support," but did not comment on any particular area.

IATA bids goodbye to paper airline tickets

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Geneva, Switzerland

Paper tickets are well on their way to becoming relics of a bygone era.

The air travel industry, in its efforts to anticipate profit downturn, is striving to be more efficient by eliminating unnecessary material and prolonged service at airports.

The International Air Transport Industry (IATA), a leading aviation trade group, says the industry needs to simplify its business as soaring fuel prices and the global economic slowdown will result in lower profits in 2008, despite a steady growth in passenger numbers.

E-ticketing and self-service check-in are among the services the IATA recommends global airlines, particularly airlines from developing countries, implement in full.

"Together, these projects will save the industry US$6.5 billion annually," said Phillippe Bruyere, program director of business simplification at the IATA, which has 240 global members comprising 94 percent of scheduled international traffic.

Electronic tickets alone, which hold the information previously held on paper tickets, could save the industry at least $3 billion a year because an e-ticket costs only $1 to process as against $10 per paper ticket.

Efficiency for travelers, airline companies and travel agents is the main priority.

E-ticketing requires a database that is integrated with the airlines' passenger service systems and interfaces with all partners for the real-time processing of passengers by ground handlers and partners.

The aim is for electronic ticketing (not to be confused with the boarding pass, which is still commonplace) to be 100 percent in use this year.

The IATA has set May 2008 as the deadline for all airlines to issue tickets that passengers receive in the form of e-mail, printing the hard copies at home or in the office.

Global electronic ticketing has progressed well during 2007, reaching 89 percent, according to the IATA's October report. Indonesia, the group says, is among the countries that are in the strongest positions to bring in the all e-ticketing (ET) system. In Indonesia, the ET penetration rate has reached 92 percent.

Passenger self-service, in which passengers get their own boarding passes from automated machines at airports or from home, is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S., Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

However, the Asia Pacific region is still behind in the category. Only 30 percent of travelers in the Asia Pacific use self-service compared to 47 percent in the U.S., 42 percent in Europe and 40 percent in the Middle East.

It is hoped that passengers will soon say goodbye to long lines at check-in counters to get their boarding passes printed.

"Passengers want the speed, convenience and control that self-service offers. Airlines want to use the technology to offer these options, and improve service while cutting costs," Bruyere said at a media meeting in Geneva in December.

Some countries, such as Japan and Germany, have already implemented self-service gates for boarding. The airlines, such as JAL and Lufthansa, have found that this can speed up boarding. However, the industry still lacks the reference points and implementation standards to make this a global service.

The IATA has taken its own steps to make air travel easier.

It has set 2010 as the deadline for airlines to introduce bar-coded boarding passes, which are sent through text messages from the airlines to customers' cell phones.

Passengers will simply have to register their cell phone numbers with their airline at the time of booking to receive a text message with a two-dimensional bar code. The bar code then functions as a boarding pass.

Moreover, it has launched the IATA travel information portal at www.iatatravelcentre.com. At the time of booking, the site provides tailored information by itinerary on passport, visa and health requirements, taxes at arriving and departing airports and consumer and currency regulations. The service is offered free of charge to individual travelers.

The group says consumers are demanding more self-service and complete information to avoid documentation problems. Cases of incorrect documentation discovered at check-in are estimated to amount to around 35,000 passengers annually. They are turned back at destination or transfer points by immigration authorities due to improper documentation.

The IATA believes these services are important because in 2008 the global airline industry is predicted to face a profit downturn on the back of soaring fuel prices.

In June, when the oil prices were still relatively low, the IATA had forecasted a profit of $9.6 billion.

With the rising oil prices, analysts have also revised down the industry's total income forecast by almost 30 percent to $5 billion from the $7.8 billion they predicted in September.

"The crystal ball looks rather foggy at the moment. We expect a bill of $149 billion next year (2008), which is $14 billion more than 2007 and 30 percent of our total costs," IATA director general Giovanni Bisignani said.

The peak of the business cycle is over and we are still $190 billion in debt. We could be headed for a downturn with little cash in the banks to cushion the fall, added Bisignani.

By 2011, the IATA forecasts the air transport industry will handle 2.75 billion passengers or 620 million more passengers than in 2006. It forecasts that freight will also rise to 36 million tons or 7.5 million tons more than in 2006.

International passenger demand is expected to increase to 980 million in 2011 at an annual average growth rate of 5.1 percent. For the first 10 months of 2007, air passenger traffic grew 7.3 percent from a year earlier.

This indicates that consumer demand remains strong in most regions, particularly in the Asia-Pacific. There is high demand from customers from China, but U.S. and European demand are slowing down, especially for business-class passengers.

The U.S market certainly effects global output, IATA chief economist Bryan Pearce said. "Revenue support will drop away during 2008 as the U.S. economic slowdown directly restricts air travel growth and has knock on effects on lined economies and travel markets."

With the less favorable economic situation, airlines with old aircraft in their fleet will be the hardest hit because their engines will guzzle more fuel compared to younger aircraft. Bisignani said the airline industry, which has a 1.1 profit margin, was still considered "peanuts" in terms of income.

However, in 2009, the IATA says the industry should be in a better state. "The problem with the airline industry is there are too many airlines," Bisignani added. The association cites that there are 2,092 airlines worldwide with a total of 23,000 aircraft.

"If we compare it to the car industry, we can name the brand easily. We recommend that more airlines merge, besides simplifying their businesses," Bisignani said.

Agency wants more land for green spaces

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post) : The City Park Agency is planning to add around five hectares of land for green lanes in efforts to improve air quality in the capital.

Agency head Sarwo Handayani said it proposed around Rp 40 billion (US$4.2 million) in the 2008 city budget to clear lands to be used for open green spaces.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said the city found it difficult to enlarge the city's existing green areas due to the limited land available in the city.

"We can optimize the already existing parks of the subdistricts," he said as quoted by beritajakarta.com on Sunday.

He said the city should devote around 13.9 percent of its land to open green spaces.

"Currently we only have about 9.6 percent," he said, adding that for every one percent of additional green space the administration would have to clear around 650 hectares.

Hundreds of shops in Solo gutted by fire

Solo (ANTARA News) - Hundreds of kiosts at a furniture market in Solo, Central Java were gutted by fire at about 19:00 local time on Saturday evening.

The fire was said to have been caused by an explosion in one of the kiosks in the market and immediately spread to other kiosks.

The kiosks were mostly made of wood before being reduced to ashes.

Hundreds of kiosk owners with the assistance of local residents near the market tried to save their goods.

Jakarta drivers have attitude problem, traffic observer says

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The attitudes of many drivers in Jakarta contribute significantly to traffic accidents, an observer said Wednesday.

"Bad driving attitudes make accidents related to busway separators often occur," Indonesian Consumers' Organization (YLKI) executive Tulus Abadi said.

He said many motorcyclists drive recklessly, choosing to overtake vehicles when it is not safe.

According to police data, accidents in Jakarta in 2007 involved 4,296 drivers, resulting in 508 deaths and causing 2,810 major injuries.

Trisakti University joined forces with several non-governmental organizations to conduct research into factors that cause traffic accidents in the city last year.

Their findings revealed that on average more than 300 casualties are reported in Jakarta per month due to motorcycle accidents.

YLKI head Nurrachman said motorcyclists often disobey traffic rules, such as stipulations they should drive in the left lane and not drive at high speeds.

"It is impossible for motorcyclists to hit busway separators if they are traveling in the left lane because separators are always located in the far right lane," he said.

However, Nurrachman said the design of busway separators was not perfect and had the potential to contribute to some accidents.

He said his office would examine busway separators in several areas, including on Jl. S. Parman in West Jakarta.

The agency has been criticized for not using a consistent style in the construction of busway separators.

Most separators are made of concrete and use reflectors to make them safer for drivers.

However, on Jl. S. Parman nails can be found on busway separators, which endangers the safety of motorists who try to cross into busway lanes.

With new laws in place, motorists are often confused about whether or not they can use busway lanes in certain areas at certain times of the day. As a consequence, motorists tend to use busway lanes all over the city when traffic becomes congested.

Tulus said the agency should put warning signs and lights on separators rather than nails.

"I hope such a strategy would alert motorists to the danger ahead so they would not speed up and hit the separator," he said.

"It is important to let motorists know where separators are," he added. (ewd)

Workers race against time to complete West Jakarta tunnel

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dozens of laborers continue to work day and night in an effort to complete the Beos pedestrian tunnel in West Jakarta, which is scheduled to be finished on Tuesday.

Some 70 laborers, divided into two working shifts, have been working from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the project, with some opting to work overtime.

Joko, a worker at the site, said he had been working long shifts, taking only short breaks to have lunch and dinner.

"And now we have almost finished laying all the granite," he said Friday.

Maryono, an executive from PT Bangun Karya, which is handling the final stages of the project, said the company had employed an extra 30 workers in the last month in an effort to meet the deadline.

"The agency only gave us around two months to finish off the project," he said, adding that it was currently 80 percent complete.

The City Transportation Agency plans to open the 110-meter tunnel to the public at the end of the month. The head of the agency, Nurrachman, said the city needed about two weeks after the tunnel was completed to prepare it for public use.

The tunnel, which started being constructed in 2005, will enable pedestrians to walk safely between Kota railway station, the Kota busway terminal and the other side of the street.

The area, located in the Old City, is notorious for chronic traffic congestion.

"We also expect the tunnel will attract tourists to the Old City," Nurrachman said.

The agency spent approximately Rp 22 billion (US$2.3 million) completing the tunnel, which is eight meters wide and six meters deep.

The agency divided the project into four stages -- digging, laying the foundations, the finishing stage and the installation of elevators and a water fountain.

The tunnel will have staircases at its entrance and exit, toilets for men, women and disabled people and a place to pray for Muslims.

Nurrachman said his agency would cooperate with the governor and the tourism agency to decide on the exact opening date of the tunnel.

He said his office was yet to set a deadline for the installation of the elevators and fountain. (ewd).

MAS to open Yogyakarta-Kuala Lumpur route

Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Malaysian Airlines (MAS) will open a new route between Yogyakarta (Indonesia) and Kuala Lumpur on February 1, 2008, a spokesman said.

"The new route will be served by Boeing 737-400s comprising economic and business classes," MAS District Manager for Indonesia Djulkefli Zakaria said here on Friday.

MAS would fly the route three times a week, namely every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday from Yogyakarta.

"The Yogyakarta-Kuala Lumpur route, like other routes in Indonesia, will be served in cooperation with Garuda Indonesia," he said.

At present MAS maintains air sevices from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, Medan, Denpasar and Surabaya.

Pekanbaru air base commander to be fired after chopper crash

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (Antara): The commander of the Pekanbaru Air Base, Col. Gandara Olivenca, will be dismissed for allowing foreign nationals without security clearance to travel in a military helicopter that crashed at a Riau palm oil plantation on Monday.

Four military officers and seven civilians including two foreigner nationals were aboard the helicopter. One civilian passenger from Singapore, Robert Candran, was killed, while the others were injured in the crash.

"He (Gandara) is responsible for the movement of any plane and chopper at the Pekanbaru Air Base, including the presence of local civilian passengers and foreign nationals in the crashed helicopter," Air Force Chief of Staff Vice Marshal Subandrio said Friday.

The preliminary results of an investigation by the Air Force Aircraft Accident Investigation Team show two foreign national passengers of the helicopter did not have security clearance from Indonesian Military Headquarters, he said.

"The commander of the air base must know that the two foreign nationals must first have obtained security clearance (from TNI Headquarters) before they could travel on the military vehicle. It is clear that he violated procedures and therefore he must besternly punished," he said.