TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
International stadium construction work to start amid land dispute
The Jakarta administration will proceed with the construction of the Jakarta International Stadium in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, following the completion of a tender that saw three construction companies assigned to build the city’s flagship megaproject amid ongoing land disputes
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
T
he Jakarta administration will proceed with the construction of the Jakarta International Stadium in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, following the completion of a tender that saw three construction companies assigned to build the city’s flagship megaproject amid ongoing land disputes.
City-owned developer PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro), which will oversee the Rp 4 trillion (US$281 million) project, has declared state-owned contractor PT Wijaya Karya (Wika), property developer PT PP Properti and construction firm PT Jaya Konstruksi the winners of the bid to work on the project to build the BMW stadium.
Jakpro’s project director for the Jakarta International Stadium, Iwan Takwin, said the company had simply followed instructions from Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan regarding the continuation of the project amid the legal challenges.
“We followed the governor’s instructions and worked on it in accordance with the target,” he said, adding that Jakpro’s work was based on its official appointment through a 2018 gubernatorial regulation.
Anies previously said his administration would continue the construction of the stadium despite a ruling by the North Jakarta State Administrative Court in May in favor of private developer PT Buana Permata Hijau (BPH). The company won the lawsuit against the North Jakarta National Land Agency over the 6.9 hectares of land under separate certificates to be used for the BMW Stadium.
The verdict annulled two separate land-use rights certificates for the Jakarta administration issued by the National Land Agency in 2017 for the location of the stadium.
The legal battle continues as the city has filed an appeal against the ruling.
Iwan added that the successful construction firms would start working this month. Jakpro will supervise the building specifications and personnel qualifications and ensure that everything runs according to schedule.
Anies held a groundbreaking ceremony for the stadium in March, but construction work was pushed back as at that time the tender process was still ongoing.
Iwan said 1,400 out of about 13,000 piles planned as the foundation of the building structure had been sunk.
“This will be the first stadium in Indonesia that complies with international standards set by [world soccer body] FIFA. It will be the first stadium in the country with a retractable roof,” he said.
The stadium, which will also serve as home ground of Jakarta-based soccer club Persija, will stand some 70 meters high, equal to a 24-story building, upon a 22 ha plot.
It will be the first stadium in the country with a retractable roof.
Unlike Gelora Bung Karno sporting complex in Senayan, the 82,000-capacity stadium will have not have a running track.
Iwan claimed that the stadium, due to be completed within three years, would be similar in quality to world-class stadiums such as Manchester United’s Old Trafford and Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu.
“The budget will be entirely from the regional capital injection [PMD], which will be received gradually. We aim to hold the soft launch for the stadium in mid-2021,” he said.
Given that the stadium is aimed at accommodating a variety of activities and not only soccer, Iwan said the field would use hybrid and removable turf to allow for a variety of sports or any other purposes.
He added that the sporting complex would be connected with public transportation means such as LRT Jakarta.
“There could be more than 100,000 people there. According to FIFA, it should take no longer than 30 minutes for people to leave the area. The public transportation modes will support the movement of attendees,” he said.
He also claimed that the company had been coordinating with local communities to avoid eviction and to support their needs while the construction was taking place.
The continuation of the project came amid a warning given by PT BPH to stop the development project.
The company’s attorney, Damianus Renjaan, said in May that construction activities would be illegal as the court had ruled in favor of the company.
The city’s legal bureau has appointed former deputy law and human rights minister Denny Indrayana to boost its chances of winning the dispute. Denny was appointed as a result of his expertise in administrative law, as the case will revolve around the issuing of permits, bureau head Yayan Yuhana said previously.
She did not immediately respond to The Jakarta Post’s inquires on Wednesday relating to the progress of the dispute.
