Jakarta – The State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry has demanded a full assessment of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project over environmental and human concerns.
It also demanded consortium PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), which is developing the railway, repair its drainage system. The system has been blamed for inundating the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road located near the project, causing traffic congestion in the area.
"I've requested PT KCIC conduct a full evaluation regarding the weaknesses of project management that have caused environmental damage," SOEs Minister Erick Thohir said in a press release on Monday.
In a letter sent to PT KCIC on Feb. 27, the Public Works and Housing Ministry (PUPR) demanded the project be halted for two weeks starting from March 2, citing the project's poor drainage system.
Erick said the company must file a report in two weeks regarding its progress on drainage system repairs and environmental management.
"We appreciate and fully support the PUPR Ministry's action to halt the project for two weeks," he said.
Separately, the Transportation Ministry's secretary-general Djoko Sasono said on Monday that the ministry would carry out an internal discussion regarding the issue before taking further steps.
"We're currently gathering information [regarding the project] in order to take further action," he said.
The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway project is one of the government's national strategic projects (PSN) in the transportation sector and is expected to require a total investment of US$6.07 billion.
The railway project will serve four main stations: Halim in Jakarta, Karawang in West Java and Walini and Tegaluar in Bandung regency. A total of 80 km of the railway will be elevated, while a further 16.9 km will be in tunnels.
The trains will travel at 350 km per hour, cutting travel time between Jakarta and Bandung to 45 minutes, faster than the approximately three hours on the existing train. (mpr)