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Govt to settle eco issues to keep train schedule on track
Transport talk: West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan â(right) sits with Jakarta Deputy Mayor Djarot Syaifulah Yusuf (âcenter) and Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil â(left) to discuss the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train and Bandung light rail transit (LRT) project during a meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta, on Jan
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Transport talk: West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan â(right) sits with Jakarta Deputy Mayor Djarot Syaifulah Yusuf (âcenter) and Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil â(left) to discuss the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train and Bandung light rail transit (LRT) project during a meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta, on Jan. 4, 2016. (Tempo/Subekti) (right) sits with Jakarta Deputy Mayor Djarot Syaifulah Yusuf (âcenter) and Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil â(left) to discuss the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train and Bandung light rail transit (LRT) project during a meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta, on Jan. 4, 2016. (Tempo/Subekti)
Transport talk: West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan '(right) sits with Jakarta Deputy Mayor Djarot Syaifulah Yusuf ('center) and Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil '(left) to discuss the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train and Bandung light rail transit (LRT) project during a meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta, on Jan. 4, 2016. (Tempo/Subekti)
Despite concerns raised by an environmental impact analysis (amdal), the government is insisting on proceeding with construction of the country's first high-speed railway, scheduled to launch on Thursday, saying that the remaining environmental issues could be settled in a day.
Preparation for Thursday's kick-off ceremony in Walini, a town the railway will pass through, was ready to go on Wednesday, said Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, including the stage from which President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo will speak.
"Only a day left and we're now waiting for the Environment and Forestry Minister's decision," he said at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday as quoted by tempo.co, adding that President Jokowi had called on ministers to work together to settle the permit issue before Thursday's launch.
An Indonesian-Chinese joint venture, dubbed PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), has been formed to build the high-speed train connecting Jakarta and Bandung, at a cost of Rp 70 trillion (US$5.5 billion).
Unfortunately, according to a technical team in the ministry, KCIC's documents on the environmental impact of the project were incomplete and unclear. Analysts concluded that the project was not yet 'worthy' of a construction permit.
'They must be patient, and should not only chase administrative requirements,' said Widodo Sambodo, a member of the technical team and a director in the Environment and Forestry Ministry.
He pointed out an absence of detailed explanation of Walini's vital location in a water catchment area the for the Citarum River. This ecological function could be disturbed by a recklessly built train station, disrupting the water supply for Jatiluhur dam.
'The water reservoir is very important for irrigation and power production in Jatiluhur. Not to mention the fact that the area is prone to landslides," Widodo explained.
However, the Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya was confident that her institution would issue the environmental permit, as administrative requirements had been well looked after, in spite of some minor issues such as public objections.
"We cannot let those minor issues hamper the progress that the public needs. The permit must be completed today," she said on Wednesday at the Presidential Palace, adding that the ministry would set a 30-day deadline before which the public could raise questions and objections.
Strategic projects
The high-speed train is one of 62 strategic projects to be constructed by state-owned companies and scheduled for groundbreaking this year, with the projects totaling Rp 347.2 trillion in value, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno said.
"The construction of the high-speed train project is expected to commence soon. In total, there are 73 strategic projects which will be completed and inaugurated in 2016, with a total value of Rp 109.65 trillion," she said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The train, which will reportedly travel at more than 250 kilometers per hour on its 142 km track, is supposed to see construction begin in 2016, be finished by 2018 and start operating in early 2019.
Other projects scheduled for groundbreaking this year, Rini continued, included a power plant built by the state-owned electricity provider PLN and oil and gas projects undertaken by state-owned energy giant PT Pertamina.
PLN CEO Sofyan Basir said at end of 2015 his company had signed a 17,000 megawatt (MW) power plant construction contract with a total value of $24 billion. This year, PLN will also sign a 12,000 MW power plant construction contract with a total value of $18 billion.
"They are collaborative projects between PLN and various independent power producers (IPP). PLN's contribution alone accounts for approximately one quarter of all the projects," he said, adding that the construction of these projects would be completed in 2019. (ags)
