B

ekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi met with Jakarta Acting Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama at City Hall on Tuesday, in a follow-up meeting to discuss cooperation between the two administrations.

Rahmat, alongside leaders of other administrations in the Greater Jakarta area, had previously attended a dinner with Ahok, during which the acting governor announced his decision to increase the grants given to neighboring cities and regencies by the Jakarta administration. The grants will be used to finance infrastructure projects that will also benefit the capital.

'€œI proposed a sum of Rp 250 billion [US$20.53 million]. It'€™s not about the amount of money but the benefits that will come of the projects,'€ Rahmat told reporters after the meeting.

Planned infrastructure projects include the construction of a new road and the improvement of existing roads in order to improve access to Bantar Gebang landfill in Bekasi, where all Jakarta garbage is taken.

'€œThe projects aim to ease access from Jakarta to Bantar Gebang. That'€™s why we'€™ve asked for Jakarta'€™s help,'€ Rahmat explained.

As well as the road projects, the Bekasi administration plans to develop water channels and transportation.

'€œWe already have the APTB [Transjakarta feeder network] but it needs to be improved before it'€™s adequate. We also aim to develop an integrated transportation system so that Bekasi and Jakarta will be better connected,'€ Rahmat said, adding that the two administrations also planned to work together in the spatial planning sector.

As part of flood-mitigation efforts, the Bekasi and Jakarta administrations have agreed to construct a deep tunnel to direct water to the East Flood Canal.

'€œThat way all water will be channeled directly to the East Flood Canal. We plan to connect three subdistricts [in Bekasi] to the canal, namely Pondok Melati, Pondok Gede and Bekasi Barat. We'€™ve completed the studies and all we need is the permit. The governor has agreed to speed up the process. Basically, we agree on the need to expedite projects '€” we shouldn'€™t put off til tomorrow what we can today,'€ said Rahmat.

Meanwhile, Ahok revealed that the city administration would disburse a significant sum of money to finance the planned infrastructure projects.

'€œMoney doesn'€™t matter. We are willing to give Rp 1 or even 2 trillion in grants if necessary. In recent years, the city administration has only given Rp 3 to 5 billion to neighboring cities. That'€™s not enough to buy a Range Rover, let alone finance infrastructure projects that will make a difference,'€ he said.

The acting governor detailed the benefits for Jakarta should the city help finance Bekasi'€™s infrastructure projects.

'€œWith better access to Bantar Gebang, our dump trucks can operate 24 hours and we can save fuel by up to 70 percent. The budget for infrastructure projects in Bekasi should be lower than in Jakarta so the potential benefits for us are huge. I don'€™t mind giving away trillions so long as it'€™s beneficial for Jakarta,'€ Ahok insisted.

In addition, the city administration will give its dump trucks to the Bekasi administration.

The Bekasi administration currently only has 130 dump trucks, below the optimal 200. Bekasi produces 1,700 tons of garbage daily.

'€œWe can only manage 40 percent of our garbage. There'€™s no way we'€™re going to win an Adipura award [which judges cities'€™ cleanliness] because the judges require a city to be able to manage at least 70 percent of its garbage,'€ Mayor Rahmat said.

The Jakarta administration, meanwhile, plans to procure new dump trucks to replace the ones given to Bekasi.