T

he Jakarta administration is set to develop underground ducts to deal with dangerous cables and wires dangling off poles on streets and sidewalks in the capital city.

Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said that cables installed on city poles had been installed haphazardly, without permission and without levies paid to the city. He said such installments were not only an eyesore, but also a fire hazard.

'€œThere are many cables and wires dangling from our poles installed by various operators, but they are all unauthorized. Such installments are dangerous and must be reorganized,'€ Ahok told reporters at City Hall on Thursday.

He went on to say that developing underground ducts for cables was regulated by Bylaw No. 1/2012 on the 2030 provincial spatial law. Article 60 of the bylaw states the city must integrate electricity and telecommunications-distribution media by developing underground duct networks.

'€œThe development of underground ducts is already regulated in the bylaw, so we have a legal basis. By building the underground ducts, the city will be able to organize the cables and prevent fires caused by the cables,'€ Ahok said.

Separately, Roads Agency head Yusmada Faizal said the agency had earmarked Rp 50 billion (US$3.8 billion) this year to develop the ducts on Jl. Hayam Wuruk and Jl. Gajah Mada in Central Jakarta.

'€œWe will develop underground ducts on those streets. Once they are completed, the cables and wires dangling on poles will be put underground,'€ Yusmada told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Thursday.

The agency has allocated Rp 30 billion to repair damaged sidewalks across the city. A number will be prioritized, including Central Jakarta'€™s Jl. Kyai Caringin, Jl. Abdul Muis, Jl. Raya Cideng and Jl. Salemba; and South Jakarta'€™s Jl. Pasar Minggu, Jl. Raya Saharjo and Jl. Soepomo.

In addition, the agency will prioritize West Jakarta'€™s Jl. Tomang, Jl. Kedoya Raya, Jl. Puri Kembangan, and Jl. Panjang; as well as East Jakarta'€™s Jl. Pemuda and Jl. Pramuka.

'€œWe will repair pedestrian sidewalks and simultaneously install underground ducts for several of them, such as in Tomang and Kedoya. We will gradually develop underground ducts throughout the city over the years so that there will be no more dangling cables and wires on poles,'€ Yusmada said.

Communications and Informations Agency head Ii Karunia said most utilities on poles were for electricity, telephone or Internet, and had been installed by state-owned telecommunications company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) and state-owned electricity company PT PLN, as well as other private Internet providers.

He acknowledged that thus far, the city had not supervised or monitored cable installments, causing operators to haphazardly install utilities on city poles. He added said his agency was currently drafting revisions on Gubernatorial Regulation No. 14/2014 on telecommunications towers to regulate the levies and permits for cable and wire installations.

'€œIn the future, all cables must be installed underground in our ducts. Operators must seek licenses with the city administration at the BPTSP [one-stop integrated service agency] office if they wish to install cables. They will pay an annual fee to the city administration as long as their cables are in our ducts,'€ Ii told the Post over the phone on Friday.