Serang and Cilegon locals blame fuel for break downs

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Banten

Motorists in Serang and Cilegon municipalities have complained of engine trouble after filling up at petrol fuel stations over the past week.

Suhendi, a resident of the Taman Banten Lama housing complex in Serang said his motorcycle broke down in Kaligandu on Saturday and has not been able to be started since.

"In fact, it's not only my motorcycle. My neighbors' cars also broke down and their engines couldn't be started," he said Monday.

Agus Mahtadi, a resident of the Taman Widya Asri housing complex in Serang also faced trouble with his car engine after filling up Sunday.

"When I took the car to a workshop, the technicians found the engine was damaged because there was an unidentified liquid mixed in with the gasoline," he said.

Complaints that bad quality gasoline was distributed to fuel stations in Cilegon and Serang from state oil company PT Pertamina's transit terminal at Tanjung Gerem near Merak Port in Cilegon have piled up over the past four days.

Erwin, a resident of Cilegon municipality, said he switched to higher octane fuel after his car broke down on May 4.

"I am suspicious that I and many other people here bought fake gasoline from petrol stations. But we're still in the dark where the mixture happened," he said.

Budi, an operator at the Karang Anyar fuel station in Cilegon acknowledged he had received complaints of bad fuel quality from drivers. He said some of them, particularly public minivan drivers, had threatened to stage a protest at the station.

"We began to receive complaints from consumers who bought premium gasoline on Thursday and we told them Pertamina had to be held responsible for the losses they suffered," he said.

The fuel station receives 24 tons of fuel delivery from the Tanjung Gerem terminal each day.

Khaerul, an operator at a petrol station on Jl. Lingkar Selatan in Serang, said that his petrol station had also received complaints from consumers, mostly public minivan drivers.

"Following consumers' complaints, we stopped ordering fuel from Tanjung Gerem for a while and asked for our fuel supply from Jakarta instead," he said.

Sulaeman, from Pertamina's Tanjung Gerem terminal, said the transit terminal supplied fuel to 56 fuel stations in Banten but none of them had complained about fuel quality as of Monday.

"We send gasoline after it passes three laboratory tests starting from when its transferred from tankers to when it reaches the fuel stations. So it's impossible we sent fake gasoline," he said.

A local Consumers Foundation, YLPKSM, has said it is planning to take legal action against Pertamina.

"We have obtained samples of the gasoline, which has allegedly been mixed with other fuel, causing damage to the engines of hundreds of vehicles," Silvi Yuniatur, the YLPKSM director, said.

Clean air still scarce in the capital

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite aggressive campaigning for more eco-friendly fuel usage in the capital, the number of clean-air days has continued its downward spiral, an official air quality quarterly report reveals.

As of April 17, Jakartans enjoyed "good" air quality for only 23 days, which were thanks largely to frequent rains that swept the city's dust, known as particulate matter PM10, from the air and into the atmosphere.

Last year, for the same period -- the first four months of the year -- the city had 32 days of good air.

"Healthier air quality comes on rainy days," the City Environmental Board's (BPLHD) head of natural resources monitoring, Rina Suryani, said Saturday.

Rina said the PM10 average for this year's first quarter was 43 micrograms per cubic meter, far lower than the tolerable standard of 150 micrograms per cubic meter.

"However, we also recorded several days during which the PM10 parameter exceeded the standard."

Rina predicts that air quality will continue to decline with the coming dry season, which is expected to begin next month.

The city administration was elated when it learned that in Q1 last year, 32 days earned a "good" air grading, which it claimed was a direct and immediate result of the implementation of the air pollution control bylaw.

Throughout 2005, Jakarta recorded 45 good air days.

The 2005 bylaw on air pollution control requires all modes of public transportation to use compressed natural gas (CNG) and that all private vehicles undergo biannual emissions tests.

None of the programs, which were first launched last year, run well -- with the exception of the CNG scheme.

First introduced in 2004, the busway project was also designed to alleviate the use of fossil fuels. Of the 15 planned routes, the city currently operates seven busway corridors spanning 99.95 kilometers across Jakarta.

The seven routes are serviced by around 225 buses, of which 126 run on CNG. The administration plans to eventually have 363 units operating in the seven corridors.

In light of the transportation sector contributing 80 percent of the city's air pollution, the busway project was aimed at promoting public transportation and encouraging Jakartans to leave their private vehicles at home.

Data from the administration shows that some 2.5 million private cars and 3.8 million motorcycles are on the city's roads during weekdays.

The sheer magnitude of vehicles on the city's streets then causes daily severe traffic congestion. As traffic congestion worsens, the city's air becomes more polluted.

However, clean air campaigners have long doubted the validity of the city's air quality tests because of the poorly-maintained state of the five existing air quality monitors.

The monitors measure the concentrations of five main pollutants -- PM10, nitrogen oxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3)-- all of which can have detrimental effects on health, can harm the environment and can cause property damage.

The higher the percentage of the five pollutants, the worse the city's air quality will be.

Rina identified ozone (O3), which exceeds the standard of 30 micrograms per cubic meter, as the most prevalent of the pollutants.

In January, the ozone composition reached 43.59 micrograms per cubic meter.

Council slams busway over traffic jams

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: In a plenary meeting Thursday, the City Council criticized the busway for adding to traffic by taking up street space for corridors that were unable to operate at full capacity.

Councilors blamed the administration for not demanding busway management purchase more buses to allow corridors to carry more passengers.

"The city administration does not have any strategy to overcome the recurring traffic jams as a result of busway corridors taking up street lanes," councilor Nurmansjah Lubis was quoted by Antara.

Councilors urged the administration to push the busway consortium to purchase more buses for the system, to help alleviate the traffic.

"Bus procurement for corridors 4 to 7 should be completed immediately," Nurmansjah said.

Jakarta Transportation Agency deputy head Udar Pristono earlier said there were only 78 buses operating on the four new corridors, from a planned 112 buses

Govt to revitalize lakes, rivers

The Jakarta Post

BOGOR: The government is allocating Rp 850 billion (US$95 million) to revitalize rivers and lakes in Greater Jakarta and will order developers to stop constructing buildings in such areas.

"If we interrupt any part of the lakes and waterways, it would have an impact to the whole system," said Public Works Minister Joko Kirmanto after signing a joint agreement on the revitalization plan with Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban and Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono.

The plan was launched in Situ Cikaret, Bogor, in West Java to commemorate National Water Day.

The Forestry Ministry is also planning to replant 110,000 hectares of land under the program

Railway tracks in Java out of order

The Jakarta Post

BANDUNG, West Java: At least 20 percent of Java's 4,000 kilometers of railway tracks is out of order, said the president of state railway company PT Kereta Api Ronny Wahyudi on Wednesday.

The condition of the tracks has recently led to many railway accidents and Ronny emphasized the importance of the much-needed repairs.

"Repair of the railway tracks is a must to prevent (further) accidents," he said.

The Ministry of Transportation will be fully responsible for the repairs and it is expected the works will be completed by next year, he said.

Without giving any details on the figures, Ronny said the frequent accidents had caused his company to suffer losses.

In the first three months of this year alone, for example, the firm failed to reach its income target, he said.

Ronny said the company was forced to spend funds on damaged infrastructure.

Administration to conduct tunnel feasibility study

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration will conduct a feasibility study on a plan to build a 22-kilometer tunnel aimed at resolving chronic water and transportation problems in the capital.

"If everything runs smoothly, the administration can complete the technical design by 2009 and start construction by 2010," Firdaus Ali, a member of the Jakarta Water Supply Regulatory Body told reporters after meeting with Governor Sutiyoso on Tuesday.

According to the project design, the administration will construct two levels of roadway in the tunnel as well as waste water reservoirs.

Waste water will then be processed to become clean water in North Jakarta's Pluit drain, the product of which will meet the water requirements of up to 1.5 million residents.

Above the roadways, the tunnel will be used as a utility duct.

The project was first proposed by the body in February after severe flooding which inundated much of the capital.

In its initial proposal, the Rp 4.37 trillion project was designed to handle repetitive floods in the city with the capacity to entrap 30 million cubic meters of water.

Sutiyoso briefed members of the House of Representatives and the City Council on the project at the time and due to negative responses from legislators the body redesigned the project.

It has been proposed that the 22-kilometer tunnel with a diameter of 12 meters will be constructed 15 meters below the West Flood Canal from Jalan MT Haryono in East Jakarta to Muara Angke in West Jakarta.

"At first we proposed the construction of a deep tunnel intended to cope with annual flood problems. But we have now integrated turnpikes, wastewater management and a water recycling system like those in Singapore and Malaysia into the design," Firdaus said.

The body's head, Achmad Lanti, sought support from members of the Regional Representative Council at a seminar on flood problems.

"The project is a good alternative for Jakarta because there will be no need for land acquisition. We hope councilors can support our idea," he said.

The body said that underground drilling works would be conducted using a global positioning system to avoid disturbances or activity on the surface.

Similar underground reservoirs have already been constructed in big cities such as Chicago, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

To materialize this plan, the administration will organize an international seminar on deep tunnels to attract investors to fund the project.

Firdaus said that representatives from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and investors from Malaysia would attend the seminar.

"We hope 70 percent of funding for the project will come from private companies," he said.

Jakarta has long experienced floods in the rainy season and droughts in the dry season due to uncontrolled land use which has caused land permeability to be low.

Of the city's average rainfall of two billion cubic meters per year, only 170 million cubic meters of rain becomes groundwater, with a water deficit of 36 million cubic meters per year.

The administration is also under pressure to improve the city's poor transportation system which causes heavy traffic congestion daily.

Indonesia Not Ready to Face Aviation Liberalization

Tuesday, 08 May, 2007 | 12:22 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Indonesia is regarded as not being ready to face the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN aviation liberalization for cargo in 2008. “Our aircraft for air cargo are still limited, so the (liberalization) is beneficial for foreigners,” Deputy Chairman of Indonesian Forwarder and Expedition Association, Iskandar Zulkarnain, last Thursday (3/5), told Tempo in Jakarta.

According to Iskandar, with liberalization, foreign aircraft are given the right to carry cargo in several cities in Indonesia and disembark in the third country. As a result, air cargo is under the threat of being taken by other country’s cargo aircraft. It is a possibility that the foreign aircraft cooperates with the forwarder and expeditor of the companies of the same country.

He was also concerned that this will make several hub-airports for air cargo in Indonesia inactive, because cargo flight can take goods straight to the location without passing through a hub-airport. Domestic forwarder and expeditor companies will lose the opportunity to distribute goods from small regions to hub-airports. The hub-airports are Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, Denpasar and Medan.

However, according to Iskandar, cargo liberalization also has positive effects. “Exporters will be happy,” he said. In the future, exports from Indonesia can cut the costs for they can deliver straight without passing through the hub-airport.

Liberalization for cargo will be put into effect in several cities provided by each ASEAN member. Indonesia provided seven cities: Batam, Balikpapan, Biak, Makassar, Manado, Palembang and Pontianak.

As regards liberalization of passengers, it will be set up among each ASEAN member’s capital city by enacting the Fourth Freedom. This means ASEAN members’ aircraft may embark passengers from a partner country to the country of origin without a capacity limit.

The Indonesia National Air Carriers Association (INACA) also regarded Indonesia as not yet ready in facing aviation liberalization of passengers.

Harun Mahbub

More money for remote areas next year, says minister

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Transportation Ministry will focus its capital spending on remote and disaster-hit areas in 2008, with Rp 3 trillion (US$333 million) having been set aside to build and expand airports and seaports in Papua, Maluku and North Sumatra.

According to the ministry's 2008 business plan, these development projects are based on the assumption that the ministry will get Rp 15 trillion next year, a 49 percent increase over its budget for this year.

"We will distribute the funds proportionately to those provinces ... infrastructure development in Papua and West Irian Jaya has been identified as a priority," Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa said last week.

The ministry will allocate Rp 1 trillion for expanding existing ports and airports, and building new ones in the two eastern provinces. "This is one of the biggest items," Hatta said. It includes the expansion of seven strategic ports in Papua at a cost of Rp 86 billion.

The construction of more seaports and the provision of more ferries archipelagic provinces, such as Maluku, North Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara and North Sulawesi, would also be prioritized so as to shorten travel times in these regions.

"Especially in Maluku, it can involve a month's wait for a ship from one island to another at the moment," Hatta said. The ministry plans to allocate Rp 239 billion on the development of the sea-transportation sector in the province.

Another large chunk of the money will be spent on the construction of the new Kualanamu Airport in North Sumatra (Rp 930 billion) and Lombok Baru Airport (Rp 515 billion) in West Nusa Tenggara, and on expanding Hasanuddin Airport, which will cost about Rp 491 billion.

The ministry will continue funding the construction of the Kualanamu Airport and Hasanuddin Airport through 2009, Hatta added.

The ministry's plan also states that it will provide Rp 200 billion for the expansion or construction of 27 small airports in remote and disaster-hit areas, including Banda Aceh, Nias, Meulaboh, Nunukan, Atambua, Alor, Tanah Merah and Nabire.

Hatta said capital expenditure in the transportation sector would be aimed at supporting economic growth.

"Transportation is the backbone of the economy as it has an important role to play in reducing the costs of distribution in every industry," he said.

RI invites German automakers to get into Indonesian fast lane

The Jakarta Post

The government has invited three big German automakers in to make Indonesia their production bases and gateways to other Southeast Asian countries, pointing to an improving investment climate and the possibility of fiscal incentives.

"European carmakers are seeking new countries to establish their production bases in as the economies of the Asian countries grow rapidly, particularly those in eastern Asia," the Industry Ministry's director general for transportation and IT industries, Budi Darmadi, said Monday.

Budi and Investment Coordinating Board director Muhammad Lutfi met with automaker executives last week during a three-day visit to the German headquarters of Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, Mercedes Benz in Stuttgart and Audi in Ingolstadt.

Budi and Lutfi were on a mission to persuade the executives that they would benefit from opening auto plants in Indonesia.

Mercedes Benz has had an assembly plant in Gunung Putri, east of Jakarta, since 1985, while the country's economic crisis forced Volkswagen to shut its plant in 2000 after only two years in operation.

Budi said that Audi and Volkswagen, whose plants in China and South Korea serve the Southeast Asian and Pacific regional markets, were both convinced they would be unable to keep up with growing demand should they rely solely on their bases in these two countries.

"China's demand takes up almost all the Volkswagens and Audis produced there, let alone the markets in other countries."

Indonesia's total commercial and passenger vehicle sales nose-dived to 318,304 in 2006 from 534,000 in 2005 due to higher lending rates.

Total automotive sales this year amounted to 84,511 as of March. Sales are expected to increase to 400,000 this year as demand picks up on the back of declining interest rates.

At last week's meeting, Budi said, Volkswagen had informed him it was looking into the possibility of investing here, while Mercedes Benz would keep its base here and might expand its production. "Audi will likely invest here but wants to wait for a while".

Ahmad Badawi, the national sales manager of PT Garuda Mataram Motor, the licensed Volkswagen distributor in Indonesia, earlier said that Volkswagen would not consider producing cars here for the time being due to low sales.

Last year, Volkswagen sold 57 vans, down from 91 in 2005.

According to Budi, the automakers are now looking at Indonesia due to falling lending rates, the faster pace of infrastructural development, the introduction of new car models and the increase in per-capita income -- which is growing annually by between US$400 and $500, on average.

Other pluses included the new Investment Law -- passed late last month -- and the Finance Ministry's regulation removing duty from automotive components and raw materials for automotive component production, which was issued on April 3 and came into effect last Thursday for a one-year period. Previously, import duties ranged from between 5 and 15 percent.

Mercedes Benz led the premium automotive market last year on 692 cars, followed by BMW on 600, Audi on 90, Volvo on 69 and Jaguar on 27.

Ojek, The fun and the oh-so-unreliable public transport alternative

The Jakarta Post

As a news reporter, traversing all the five municipalities of Jakarta every day is the norm.

But getting back to the office in time to meet deadlines amidst horrendous evening traffic is something else.

None of Jakarta's public transport is without its flaws.

Taking the bus means extra guts -- and a lot of sweat -- to bear the drivers' breakneck, reckless driving. Taking the train means dealing with thieves.

Taxis are expensive and can't beat the traffic, while bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle) are just too noisy.

So I settle on ojek (motorcycle taxis) as the answer to all my problems.

In a city of more than seven million people, which doubles in daytime, more than 2.5 million private cars and 3.8 million motorcycles ply the streets. According to data from the transportation agency, 1,035 additional motorcycles and 296 cars enter Jakarta every day. But there is no accurate data on the number of ojek in the capital.

Riding an ojek means saving time, some cash and getting a little extra air to breath, even if the air quality might be doubtful. At very least, ojek can take me everywhere in no time, including the city's narrow streets.

But it's not all perfect.

If I bargain with ojek drivers over the fare when there's heavy traffic, most times they will try to raise the price. Just like yesterday when I asked an ojek driver to take me to my rented room in Kalibata, Pasar Minggu from Tanah Abang. He asked me for Rp 35,000 (US$3.8) to cover the trip.

"I better ride a taxi for Rp 35,000," I said. When I asked him to reduce it to Rp 15,000, he asked for Rp 20,000. "The traffic is jammed up," he said.

"Of course, this is Jakarta," I said.

And when I gave it a second thought I realized something else. He was charging me for a traffic jam, something that I had absolutely nothing to do with.

Besides, as an ojek driver isn't he supposed to get used to Jakarta's traffic?

I ended up agreeing even though I was a little irritated with the request.

He then drove me home through Kuningan, one of Jakarta's most traffic prone streets.

From any of the alternative streets why on earth would he have chosen Kuningan, I thought. But since he was driving, I didn't want to interrupt him with the question.

When we arrived, I asked the driver to wait for me and take me somewhere else. When I asked him how much I was supposed to pay him for that, he asked the same price as before, giving the same reason of traffic, even though the next destination was not as far as the last.

But since I was in a hurry I didn't think much of it and so accepted his offer. And then once again he drove through Kuningan, again avoiding the closer and less congested option closer to Jl. Medan Merdeka, my destination.

The driver apparently only knew the road he usually takes from his house Tanah Abang. But it makes me wonder: What are we paying for?

If taxis can use a meter, what can't ojek drivers? Are they charging us for every bead of perspiration they produce on each trip. Or is it the total energy they expend?

Or is it that because they know little about Jakarta's roads -- or at least pretend to, like many taxi drivers?

I'm no longer wondering why more and more people are taking their bikes to work.

Too bad the city administration doesn't seem to be excited about supporting bikers by building bikeways for them. It's just another reason I haven't yet been convinced to buy one myself.

-- Irawaty Wardany

Polonia airport closed for two hours as runway damages

The Jakarta Post

MEDAN (JP): A damaged runway forced management to close Polonia Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, to both domestic and international flights for two hours Sunday.

The airport administrator said seven outgoing and fiveincoming flights were delayed as the airport was closed from 2:20 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

Polonia airport administrator head Yuli Sudoso said that all flights were back to normal in the evening with all delayed incoming and outgoing flights, including two to Malaysia, allowed to leave.

Frido Frinaldo, head of state-owned company PT Angkasa Pura II, which is in charge of managing Polonia airport, said that the company was forced to temporarily close the airport because the damage was serious and could endanger flights. This was the first time the airport had been closed, he said. (Apriadi Gunawan)

Busway fire threatening eco-friendly gas campaign

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The busway authority's reluctance to disclose the cause of the recent explosion and fire on a TransJakarta bus is throwing into doubt the introduction of eco-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) for city public transport, environmentalists say.

The Partnership for Clean Emissions (MEB) said Saturday the failure of the busway operator to explain the incident could raise fears about the safety of CNG, jeopardizing the city's blue sky campaign.

"The issue of CNG is no longer economic. After (the busway fire) it's mostly about safety. The Jakarta administration, as the owner of the TransJakarta busway system, must explain to the public and convince them of the safety of using gas fuel," MEB secretary general John Livingstone Wuisan told The Jakarta Post.

The bus burst into flames during maintenance at the busway pool last week, injuring four mechanics.

Governor Sutiyoso said the explosion and fire was caused by human error.

The busway is the city's first project to use eco-friendly CNG fuel as part of efforts to clean up the city's severe air pollution.

The project is in line with the 2005 bylaw on air pollution control, which requires all public transport as well as the city administration's operational vehicles to switch to CNG.

A source at the administration said many of the city's vehicles have yet to switch to CNG.

The CNG project was first introduced in 1997 but public interest has remained low, partly due to the small number of service stations in the city selling CNG.

Some taxis which had previously switched to CNG have since returned to using diesel.

Jakarta is the site of the pilot project for the central government's blue sky program, which is aimed at reducing air pollution in urban areas through the use of CNG.

A source involved in city discussions over CNG, who wished to remain anonymous, said Sutiyoso has again delayed issuing an ordinance in support of the CNG project out of uncertainty over the supply of the gas.

"The draft (ordinance) has been completed. It's the second revision after Sutiyoso declined to sign it last year," the source told the Post.

The first draft of the ordinance was created by the City Mineral and Mining Agency while the second was formulated by the Environment Management Board (BPLHD), he said.

According to the BPLHD draft, public transport could use CNG, liquefied gas for vehicles (LGV) or liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Currently, only one station, in Kebayoran, South Jakarta, sells LGV. Of the 264 gas stations in Jakarta, only seven currently sell CNG.

The city has set up two stations for buses operating on the seven busway corridors.

The administration also plans to revitalize seven CNG stations to meet the demands of public transport operators.

According to the draft ordinance, the administration will award bonuses to the owners of public transport vehicles who want to switch to eco-friendly fuels.

Incentives will also be provided to businesses selling the gas and related products and to auto workshops that provide services for vehicles using gas fuels.

The draft states that sanctions would be handed out to public transportation owners who failed to switch to eco-friendly fuels.

The administration signed a contract with state gas company PGN and state oil company Pertamina to ensure the supply of CNG to Jakarta. PGN has promised to supply 600 million cubic feet of CNG per day to Jakarta.

PGN currently supplies around 87 cubic feet of CNG per day.

State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar has also pledged to help the administration resolve supply problems with CNG.

"I understand Governor Sutiyoso's decision to not issue a decree implementing the CNG program," Rachmat told reporters at a recent press conference in the Grand Kemang Hotel in South Jakarta.

The minister said he would bring the issue for discussion in Cabinet and consult with Pertamina.

Central govt threatens car quota to boost mass transit

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

If a sustainable transportation system is not developed to reduce air pollution in Jakarta, the government will start limiting car sales in the capital, the State Ministry for the Environment warned.

The state ministry's deputy assistant for emissions control, Ridwan Tamin, said Friday the existing transportation system in Jakarta has not encouraged private car owners to switch to public transportation.

"Completion of the busway and monorail systems are half-hearted efforts. The government needs to get moving and finish what it has started," Ridwan told The Jakarta Post.

"If air pollution remains at high levels, it is feasible to ban private car sales."

He said it was time the automotive industry assisted the city administration in developing the public transportation system.

"The government needs to enforce the law on emissions tests, as stipulated in air pollution control bylaws."

He said sustainable transportation must be eco-friendly and accessible to all levels of society.

"The government must improve the busway by setting up more stops and providing feeder buses to ease congestion. Sustainable transportation is urgently needed," Ridwan said.

Some busway buses operate on eco-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) and are part of the city's mass rapid transit (MRT) system, which is aimed at resolving long-standing transportation problems. Plans to improve the MRT system include the addition of subway, monorail and waterway transportation options.

Seven busway corridors, out of a planned 15, are currently in operation. The waterway project is expected to begin in June.

There are now more than 2.5 million private cars and 3.8 million motorcycles in the city -- and only 255,000 public transportation vehicles.

The government says private car ownership rises by at least 11 percent each year, far higher than the 1 percent increase in newly constructed roads annually.

At this rate the city will be gridlocked by 2014.

The government recorded only 48 days of clean air in Jakarta last year, up from 28 recorded in 2005.

Transportation expert from the University of Indonesia, Susanto Soehodho, said the automotive industry has a responsibility to help the government set up a sustainable transportation system.

He said the automotive industry should set aside a percentage of income from car sales to improve the public transportation system.

Jakarta plays with fire for the love of money

Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It can burn you, choke you and kill you. But everyone still seems to love playing with fire.

We often think fire can only get out of control when it razes slums or crowded wet markets. But after two incidents involving fire and smoke this week -- one in a posh mixed-use complex and another in a hypermarket in the Sudirman area, where over a hundred workers were asphyxiated -- we know that's not the case.

The Jakarta Fire Department has reported that a third of the 604 high-rise buildings it surveyed in the capital failed to comply with the standard fire protection system stipulated in a 1992 city bylaw.

That number has barely inched forward from the figure reported by former department head Johnny Pangaribuan in 2004, in which almost half of Jakarta's 542 high-rise buildings lacked proper fire safety systems.

Who is to blame for the widespread flouting of basic fire safety rules?

For the department's fire prevention and protection subdivision head, Syamsir Makmur, the finger should be pointed directly at building owners and managers.

"What we can do, based on the fire protection bylaw, is merely reprimand owners and managers. We check them annually and give them between six months to a year to make the necessary improvements," he said Thursday.

According to Syamsir, most of the buildings that fell short in the survey failed to keep up regular maintenance of their existing fire protection systems, while a fraction of the others had no system at all.

Around two-thirds of the cautioned buildings housed government institutions.

"After the fire at the (state oil and gas company) Pertamina building (in Medan Merdeka, Central Jakarta), we found out that the fire protection equipment there was less than the minimum," Syamsir said.

The remainder of the buildings were privately owned, such as the headquarters of a private television station which failed to install a fire alarm in its taping room; or the apartment building in which the main pump -- the heart of the internal fire extinguishing system -- had not been properly maintained, while the building had no fire escape.

High-rise buildings are required to have at least two main pumps and one jockey pump primed to start automatically when the sprinklers are triggered by the smoke detectors.

Money-saving efforts often include a misleading selection of non-listed fire pump set with thermal-type controllers that stop the pump from running when needed, Indonesian Fire Protection Association (IFPA) director for international affairs Placidus S. Petrus said.

Generally -- depending on the distance of the furthest point from the staircase -- there should also be at least two fire escapes, high-rise designer Ken Yeang wrote in the architecture textbook The Skyscraper.

The escapes must have fire-rated doors to prevent smoke and heat from penetrating the staircase enclosure, creating a clear escape passage and allowing firefighters to move around the building effectively.

"Building owners often neglect proper maintenance. They try to cut costs without knowing the impact of not having a working fire protection system," he said.

A hypermarket in South Jakarta even had its hydrant hidden behind the door, making it invisible and inaccessible, Syamsir added.

Other building operators have blatantly refused to acknowledge fire department officers knocking on their doors, he said.

But in Jakarta, we all know there must be a reason behind everything, including some building managers' refusal to talk to fire department officers.

"Prior to my case being announced, several (fire department) officers came to me and ask for a 'fee' if I didn't want there to be a problem," the building manager of an apartment complex in Central Jakarta told The Jakarta Post.

The manager did not have the minimum fire protection system and the breathing apparatus he had was obsolete. Only after he refused to pay the "fee" was this made official in a warning letter from the department, he said.

"We are now doing what we can within financial constraints to improve safety for our occupants," the building manager said.

"I just dropped by the department office today (Thursday) and once again they asked me for money. You know who we are talking about here," he added.

Another building manager in South Jakarta said "I only stick to one officer to deal with everything."

"Others have also come to me asking (for money) and threatening this and that," he added.

This is all nothing new in this notoriously corrupt city. But when public safety is involved, it should be of paramount concern.

"Prior to using their buildings, owners must obtain a recommendation from the fire agency that their (fire protection) system works well," Petrus from IFPA said.

Beside the corrupt officers, developers should also share part of the blame.

"The fire protection system might look good on paper, but during construction, cheaper systems are often brought in," Petrus said.

According to the head of the fire department's rescue subdivision, Sunartoyo, fire protection systems account for as much as 20 percent of the total utility cost of a building.

For developers, stating compliance with international standards like the United States' NFPA is often a marketing gimmick.

Petrus has warned such developers to immediately rescind such marketing statements, especially if they violate any of NFPA Codes and Standards that were adopted as Standard Nasional Indonesia (SNI).

So what's the root of our fire protection problem? The rupiahs people can save for turning a blind eye; or the rupiahs others can get through corrupt enforcement?

Singapore Airlines to further increase fuel surcharge on tickets

The Jakarta Post

SINGAPORE (AP): Singapore Airlines will increase its fuel surcharge for the second time since late March to alleviate rising jet fuel costs, the company announced Thursday.

The new charges will affect tickets bought on or after May 9, 2007, the airline said in a statement.

The biggest surcharge hike will be on flights between Singapore and the United States and Canada, the airline said. The current US$82 (euro60) fuel surcharge will rise to US$89 (euro66) on a one-way flight.

The surcharge will increase from US$18 (euro13) to US$20 (euro15) on flights between Singapore and the Asian cities of Kuala Lumpur and Penang, Malaysia; Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei; Bangkok, Thailand; Jakarta and Denpasar, Indonesia; Hanoi and HoChi Minh City, Vietnam; and Manila, the Philippines.

The new surcharge is subject to official review in some markets, and some local variations may apply where regulatory approvals dictate, the statement said.

The adjustments will only partially relieve the burden of higher operating costs resulting from recent rises in the price of jet fuel, it said, adding it will continue to monitor jet fuelprices and keep its fuel surcharge under review.

This is the second time Singapore Airlines is raising its fuel surcharge since March 22, when the surcharge was increased by US$4 (euro3) on flights between Singapore and the United States and Canada.

A village to go in airport expansion

The Jakarta Post

TANGERANG: More than 4,000 people in Pajang subdistrict in Tangerang municipality are to be moved and their lands used for the expansion of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

"The subdistrict will be taken out of the map," administration spokesman Saiful Rohman said Wednesday.

Along with Pajang residents, hundreds of families from the Batu Ceper and Benda districts will also be gradually evicted for the project, he added.

A new terminal will be built on the 63-hectare Pajang area.

Tangerang mayor Wahidin Halim said the relocation mean noise pollution from the airport no longer affected the residents.

"We are currently still collecting accurate data on the number of residents, existing buildings and land to be cleared," he said, adding that the data would be handed to airport operator PT Angkasa Pura.

He said a study was underway to find a new location for the evicted residents. -- JP

Jetliner returns due to "buzzing noise"

JAKARTA (Antara): A Garuda Indonesia jetliner carrying hundreds of passengers returned to an airport in East Java capital of Surabaya shortly after takeoff when the pilot heard a "buzzingnoise, report says.

The national carrier's plane was 15 minutes into the flight to Singapore when the pilot decided to turn around, a company official said.

"The pilot decided to return back as the buzzing noise disrupted his concentration," said Sudjoko Dalijo, a Garuda manager in Surabaya, quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

The decision was a precaution, the official added, and the Boeing 737-400, carrying 245 passengers, landed safely.

The incident comes after a series of air accidents in Indonesia in recent months. A Garuda plane crashed into a runway in Central Java in March, bursting into flames and killing 21 people. Another plane belonging to the carrier landed safely on Sulawesi island despite bursting a tyre last month.

An Adam Air plane plunged into the sea off Sulawesi island on New Year's Day, killing all 102 on board.

Govt moves to put trains on right track

Andi Haswidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Following a series of accidents and years of poor performance, the government has appointed an acting chief commissioner to state railway company PT Kereta Api (KA), and forced two directors to step down.

The Transportation Ministry's recently appointed director general for air transportation, Budhi M. Suyitno, was sworn in Thursday as acting KA chief commissioner to replace Soemino E. Putra, who has resigned.

Citing the best interests of the company, the ministry also forced technical director Sujudi Soemadilaga and human resources director Amien Abdurachman to step down, and instructed president director Ronny Wahyudi to fill the posts on an interim basis until new directors had been appointed.

"We are appointing a temporary chief commissioner as we need more time to select a permanent chief commissioner. There are rules that we must adhere to," said the ministry's secretary, Said Didu, during Thursday's ceremony.

Said said that the restructuring of PT KA's management was essential to improving railway infrastructure and human resources, and rehabilitating the company's image. It would also help the state firm cope with competition from the private sector in the future.

Citing an Ernst & Young audit conducted in 2002, Didu said that about 27 percent of the rail system's tracks were more than 70 years old, while about 30 percent were between 10 and 20 years old.

"PT KA is extremely good at preserving things," he joked.

"We also know that PT KA has been suffering losses. I can understand how stressful it must be for the company directors each time pay day comes around," he added.

Transportation Minister Hatta Jassa said last month that the company was losing some Rp 250 million per day, or Rp 7.5 billion per month, on its Greater Jakarta services alone, due in part to the thousands of fare-dodgers riding the trains every day -- many even on the roofs of trains.

Besides causing losses, the high incidence of fare dodging had sparked safety and security fears among members of the general public.

Responding to this, Budhi said that ensuring safety would be his foremost priority.

"To be honest, I don't know much about the railway world. But given the numerous accidents we have had, safety will be my main focus," he told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony.

Late last month, a Serayu passenger train derailed in the West Java town of Garut, injuring 70 people and temporarily closing the southern rail line from Jakarta to Kroya in Central Java.

Following his appointment as director general for air transportation, Budhi introduced a rating system for airlines, with the results being published regularly.

This drew fierce criticism from the airlines, which argued that the criteria employed were defective.

Mandiri, BRI, Bank Jabar to fund expressway project

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Three local banks -- Bank Mandiri, Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) and Bank Jabar -- have agreed to extend a syndicated loan of Rp 1.79 trillion (US$197.1 million) to partly finance the construction of a turnpike project in West Java.

Under an agreement signed here Wednesday, Bank Mandiri will contribute Rp 1.1 trillion, BRI Rp 448 billion and Bank Jabar Rp 150 billion.

The total loan will account for 68 percent of the project's overall cost, which is estimated at some Rp 2.63 trillion.

The remaining 32 percent will be financed by PT Citra Waspphutowa, the developer of the 22.82-kilometer tollway, which will link Jl Pangeran Antasari in South Jakarta and Bojong Gede in Bogor.

Construction of the expressway project is expected to begin next year, with commercial operation starting in October 2009.

"The loan will have a floating interest rate and will mature in 11 years, including a two-year grace period dating from the initial operation of the toll road," Mandiri president director Agus Martowardojo told reporters following the signing of the loan agreement.

He said the loan would be disbursed as soon as Citra Waspphutowa had completed the land acquisition process, which has been underway since mid 2006, and is scheduled for completion in May 2008.

Citra Waspphutowa president director Winten Peradika said that his company, together with the local administrations, had completed land acquisition in a number of areas of Depok and Bogor, but had yet to acquire any land in Jakarta.

Citra Waspphutowa is a joint venture established last year by five companies -- PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada (CMNP), PT Waskita Karya, PT Hutama Karya, PT Pembangunan Perumahan and PT Bosowa Trading International, with CMNP holding a 55 percent stake.

CMNP president director Daddy Hariadi said after the signing ceremony that his company would acquire a 7.5 percent stake in Bosowa Trading International, which planned to withdraw from the joint-venture company to focus on projects in South Sulawesi.

The Antasari-Depok-Bogor project is the 11th tollway project to be developed with the help of financing from Bank Mandiri.

The bank is also financing the construction of several other tollway projects, including the Kampung Melayu-Bekasi expressway in Jakarta, the Cikampek-Palimanan expressway in West Java, the Semarang-Batang expressway in Central Java and several segments of the Jakarta outer orbital route, with total financing from Mandiri amounting to Rp 13 trillion.

Four injured as bus explodes into flames

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Four busway mechanics were severely injured when a TransJakarta bus burst into flames during maintenance at the bus pool on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, East Jakarta, on Wednesday.

The four victims, Samim, 36, Sulaiman, 22, I Gusti Ketut Alid, 50, and Nurah, 29 were rushed to the nearby Mediros hospital, with most of them suffering burns to around 40 percent of their bodies.

The mechanics doing welding work on the bus, which normally plies the Pulogadung-Harmoni route, while disposing of its gas tank.

One of the victims, Samin, said he had no idea what had caused the explosion.

"(The explosion) came from under the bus, but I have no idea where the fire started exactly."

None of the men were smoking when the accident happened, he said.

A TransJakarta spokesman, Daryono, said the bus was in for regular maintenance.

"We usually replace the gas tank once every three months," Daryono told the news portal Tempointeraktif.com.

The bus was completely burnt by the time firefighters arrived around 30 minutes after being called

Van drivers strike for better road

The Jakarta Post

BEKASI: Public minivan drivers in Bekasi went on strike Wednesday, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded.

The drivers, from six routes in the municipality, demanded the local administration repair the severely damaged road connecting Jl. Raya Pekayon and Pondok Gede.

Drivers said the potholes along the 12-kilometer strip had cut down the number of trips they could do each day.

"We've lost two trips per day ... We usually took two hours for one trip, now it's three hours," Yayat, a driver, was quoted as saying by Tempointeraktif.com.

The strike forced Asrul, student of state junior high school SMPN 35 in Jati Mekar, Pondok Gede, to hitch a ride on a platform truck.

"It's cheaper taking an ojek (motorcycle taxi), which costs Rp 15,000 to get to school," he said.

The student concession fare for public minivans is Rp 2,000.

The administration started to cover the potholes yesterday afternoon in response to the protest.

New Wings at Lion Air:

The Jakarta Post

Several Lion Air staff in traditional attire witness the delivery of the first of the budget airline's new aircraft during a reception ceremony Monday at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

The ceremony was attended by Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa.

Lion Air has purchased 60 new Boeing 737-900ER aircraft to augment its existing fleet of 30 aircraft.

The new planes will fly both domestic and international routes. (JP/J. Adiguna)

New law seen boosting rail safety

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Director General for Railway Transportation Soemino Eko Saputro said the country's private sector will be invited to oversee railway operations and infrastructure thanks to a new law that could also improve security and safety on railway services.

"The new law will open the opportunity for private sectors and provincial administration to become railway operators," Soemino said addressing a seminar on railway services here Monday.

"The government will no longer play an operational role -- we will simply be a regulator."

Once authorized by the President, the new railway law will replace the 1992 law, which makes the government both operator and regulator.

Under the existing law, the government and state railway company PT KA manages all operations and facilities, including tracks, stations and carriages.

But under the new law, tracks and stations will be grouped under the infrastructure division while trains and carriages will be grouped under the facility division.

Both PT KA and the private sector should secure a contract on which facility or infrastructure they want to manage, Soemino said.

"For example, if a company wants to build a high-speed train from Jakarta to Surabaya, then it could also manage the stations between those cities."

Soemino said under the current law foreign companies are able to invest in specialized railway services, including coal trains, but not in civil or commercial railway transportation.

In addition to regulating technical aspects of railway services, the new law will also regulate sanctions for passengers who travel illegally -- including sitting on top of carriages.

The police will have the authority to impose sanctions or fines for passengers violating this law.

While maintaining the existing National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), the new law will regulate the establishment of a team of certified investigators to probe any railway accidents.

The team will comprise civil servants who will be trained on investigation skills by the police.

"The KNKT will focus on cause and prevention of accidents, while the new team will investigate individual operators who fail to work properly," Soemino said.

"We have already recruited 60 people for this new team."

Gatot Wibowo, corporate secretary of PT KA, said the company could only offer human resources or expertise to potential investors interested in railway transportation services.

He said the increasing number of tollroads in the country had lowered PT KA's income.

The (Cipularang) tollroad from Jakarta to Bandung has seen a 40 percent loss of income in ticketing, he cited an example.

Chairman of the Railway Commuters Community Moch. Hendrowijono said multi-operators of railways could boost competition and bring much-needed funds for the industry to improve its services.

"Insufficient government subsidies and PT KA's limited revenue cannot cover the company's operational expenditures, which has resulted in maintenance being neglected."

Domestic travel industry shows signs of recovery

Debnath Guharoy, Consultant, The Jakarta Post

Though the Indonesian transport industry has yet to make a full recovery from the crash of September 2005, it is on an upward trend.

It is poised to win back much of the ground lost as a consequence of the fuel price hikes that year. There will be no fundamental change in the demographics of travelers, either.

The number of females taking trips will be almost as many as the number of males. The younger population will be traveling more than their counterparts who are older than-50, as was the case in the past.

The number of short-trip travellers has always been higher than for long trips. The actual number of short-trip travellers each quarter is traditionally about 10 percent higher than the number of people who are intending to travel.

This is a characteristic of the industry, reflecting the need for unforeseen or unplanned travel sometimes. Similarly, the intention to travel on long trips is usually about 20 percent higher than the number of long trips taken as aspirations and plans get affected by the pressing demands of everyday life.

From 26 million travellers who moved around by land in the 12 months to March 2005, the number dipped to below 18 million as of December 2005, and has gradually clawed its way back to over 21 million at the close of 2006.

Demand overall is still lower, with around 16 million people currently intending to travel in the next 12 months. This includes some 7 million long-trip intenders, over a million of whom will scuttle their plans for unforeseen reasons. That number should be more than compensated for by the number of unplanned short-trip takers, as usual.

This forecast is based on the land, sea and air travel trends continuously measured by Roy Morgan Single Source, without including the everyday use of transportation. Indonesia's largest syndicated survey, the study is now expanding to include over 27,000 respondents this year, projected to reflect the behavior of 90 percent of the population over the age of 14.

Not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of travel is within Indonesia. The most popular form of transport is by land, such as buses and trains, followed by air and sea. Only one in seven people get to travel each year, mostly from the mid- and lower-income brackets, in keeping with the structure of Indonesian society. Travel tapers off with age.

However, air travel is not the sole prerogative of Indonesia's small upper-income bracket. Understandably, a disproportionately bigger number of the well-to-do travels by air, but there are just as many less fortunates traveling by air within the country.

Of all Indonesians flying both domestic and international routes, two out of three are traveling for personal reasons or on holiday. If jet fuel prices remain stable and there are no more horror stories, for a while at least, the aviation industry should continue its steady recovery and achieve new heights.

Of the three big metros, Greater Jakarta, Greater Surabaya and Greater Bandung, it is the residents of West Java's capital that are the nation's most avid travellers. 26 percent of the people of Bandung, 24 percent of the people of Surabaya and 16 percent of Jakartans intend to travel next in the next 12 months.

While most of them will, of course, travel to visit family and friends within Indonesia, there are currently almost 2 million people around the country who would like to go overseas next year. About 1.5 million want to travel within the Asia Pacific region, 330,000 to Europe, 150,000 to America and 50,000 to Australia.

I should point out that they include all Indonesian frequent flyers, but exclude resident expatriates and travellers from overseas. To state the obvious, some people fly often but will be counted only as one person, not as several "passengers". As always, plans for about 20 percent of intenders are likely to fall by the wayside.

While the so-called War on Terror continues, Bali and Indonesia as a whole will remain adversely affected in the minds of overseas visitors, especially those from the West. But with the domestic consumer economy chugging along nicely, the potential to encourage internal and regional travellers remains a viable prospect for airlines and hotels alike.

-- The writer can be reached at Debnath.Guharoy@roymorgan.com

RI, South Korea sign billion-dollar rail deal

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Two South Korean companies signed an agreement with an Indonesian state firm Monday to build a railway line in Borneo in a deal worth one billion dollars, a report here said.

South Korea's POSCO and Canatect Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding with PT Kereta Api Indonesia, according to Detikcom news portal.

Indonesian Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa was quoted saying the railway line would be built in east Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo island.

No further details were available and a transport ministry spokesman declined comment.

The reported deal comes on the first day of a visit here by a large South Korean delegation made up of business leaders and government officials to follow up on an agreement to forge a strategic partnership between the two countries.

The agreement was reached during South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun's visit to Indonesia in December.

Radjasa was quoted saying Monday's deal was the second since a new transport law was enacted, allowing the private sector to play a greater role in the development and operation of railways in Indonesia.

A Japanese consortia qualified this month to bid for a railway project in West Java at a cost of about 660 million dollars.