Jakarta's spatial planning agency will allow base transceiver stations to be attached to the tops of buildings to reduce the number of BTS towers in the capital.

Agency head Wiriyatmoko said Thursday the agency had determined several areas, including Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta and South Jakarta, Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta and Jl. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta, where numerous high-rise buildings are located.

Areas with large concentration of high-rises are called "white areas", he said.

"There will be BTS devices attached to the tops of buildings, say, in 250 different locations situated in the white areas," Wiriyatmoko said at City Hall.

He said the agency had made the option available for cellular operators, which would be required to share monopole BTS towers.

"A monopole BTS tower needs to be built around 40-50 meters above the ground to work correctly. Otherwise, the signal will be blocked by high-rise buildings," he said.

The Jakarta administration plans to replace between 2,500 and 3,000 existing BTS towers with 850 newer monopole towers.

The newer towers will be occupied by at least two cellular operators, as stipulated in a 2001 gubernatorial decree on tower-sharing, which is backed by a 2008 regulation from the Communications and Information Ministry.

Jakarta's property management and control agency stopped issuing licenses for new towers in 2006 and has taken down 75 illegally built BTS towers.

In 2006, the licenses for 1,508 towers expired but were temporarily extended earlier this year as the authorities wait for the completion of tower-sharing studies, which will be available by the end of this year.

There are at least 2,750 towers in need of temporary licenses, which will expire when the administration starts implementing the new monopole towers.

Indonesian Telecommunications Regulatory Agency member Heru Sutadi has warned that the administration's plan to dismantle BTS towers could cause all cellular connections to be disrupted as operators may be forced to move from one BTS tower to another.

He also said the plan was a breach of the 2008 ministry of communications regulation that says "old cellular operators should strengthen their towers by 2010 to share them with new players in anticipation of additional load".

The Delhi Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) of India has invited city-owned subway developer and operator PT MRT Jakarta (MRTJ) to help develop the system in the capital.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said Wednesday the invitation would encourage MRTJ officials to follow the success of the system development in India.

"Delhi MRT invites MRTJ to learn about the MRT system development and offers technical assistants," he told reporters at City Hall.

"Both of us started feasibility studies for the system about 15 years ago. But Delhi MRT now has two lines and provides good services for commuters. This can be a good example."

Fauzi, however, refused to say the project had gone very slow in Jakarta.

"The system development is neither faster in Delhi nor slower in Jakarta. But the project in Delhi started earlier with less costs than initially projected," he said.

He also said MRT Jakarta might ask for assistance if necessary.

The Jakarta administration and the central government are jointly developing the MRT system in an attempt to address Jakarta's abysmal traffic conditions.

The project is estimated to cost a total of US$800 million, with 85 percent of the funding (Rp 8.3 trillion) coming from Japan Bank for International Cooperation loans.

The government will pay for 42 percent of the loans at an annual interest rate of 0.4 percent, while the administration will cover the remainder.

The project's first phase, estimated to cost Rp 200 billion ($21.69 million), consists of feasibility studies, the establishment of MRTJ and the construction of a 14.3-kilometer line from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to Dukuh Atas in Central Jakarta.

The MRT's first line is expected to be up and running by 2015.

The second phase of MRT development will connect Dukuh Atas to Kota, West Jakarta.

MRTJ, established on June 10 through two ordinances, is responsible both for the system development and operation.

The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) has slapped a low confidence status on Jakarta's budget report for last year, after it discovered 169 irregularities totaling Rp 5.6 trillion (US$603.77 million).

The BPK's Jakarta office head, I Gde Kastawa, said Tuesday the irregularities might lead to corruption charges.

"The BPK cannot make sure whether the 2007 budget accounts are reliable and true. Therefore, we issued the disclaimer (the worst level of budget confidence grades)," he said in a city council plenary session, reporting the findings to councilors and city officials.

"The 2007 budget accounts are poorer than the 2006 budget accounts, which earned a qualified opinion (the second of four levels of budget confidence)," he said.

Kastawa said he would further investigate the irregularities to determine whether they could be classified as incidents of corruption.

The BPK found irregularities when its team tried to confirm accounts with the relevant working units at the administration.

"For example, we were unable to confirm a number of working units' fixed assets," Kastawa said.

"We did not know what the assets looked like and were unable to locate their whereabouts."

According to Kastawa, the findings included 38 cases of poor internal supervision and 66 cases against compliance, both which indicated losses and excluded city revenue amounting to Rp 13.17 billion and administrative flaws accounting for Rp 5.25 trillion.

He said his team found the irregularities in the financial bureau, the supplying bureau, the legal bureau, the revenue agency, the city's parks agency and a municipality parks agency, the housing agency, the sports and youth agency, the public works agency, a municipality sanitary agency, the mining agency, the cemetery agency and the city and museum agency, as well as the city bureau of capital investment and regional monetary management.

Other findings included 65 cases leading to losses amounting to Rp 4.1 billion, while administrative flaws came to Rp 334.56 billion, Kastawa said.

Those findings were discovered in the city transportation agency, a municipality transportation agency, the public service agency and busway operator TransJakarta, the basic education agency and the public works agency, he said.

Kastawa said the administration had clarified Rp 334.56 billion in administrative-related findings and Rp 4.8 billion relating to potential city losses and excluded revenue.

"Now, the administration has Rp 12.47 billion in findings indicating losses and excluded revenue, as well as Rp 5.25 trillion in administrative-related findings to follow up on," he said.

In response to the BPK reports, city secretary Muhayat said his office already had a commitment to good governance.

The Jakarta administration is considering developing a transportation system in the Thousand Islands regency in an attempt to improve the mobility of residents there.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said Sunday some improvements on water transportation needed to be made to support goods and service distribution on the islands.

"To date, Thousand Islands residents still rely on the limited services of water taxis to travel within the area," he said at a City Council plenary session to mark the capital's 481st anniversary.

He said existing water taxis were not reliable enough to supply the residents' demand.

"Therefore, we need to focus on improving the inter-island water transportation system in the regency," he said, adding the administration would thoroughly assess the regency's transportation system.

Fauzi said the administration was mulling two options: to develop a new water transportation mode or to improve existing water taxi services.

"Improving water taxi services also means an improvement on the transportation's safety measures," he said.

Echoing Fauzi, Jakarta Transportation Agency head Nurachman said upgrading water taxis was the most suitable solution.

"The regency has inter-island water transportation operated by locals, but it still needs to provide better safety measures and draw up a transportation plan," he said.

He said the Thousand Islands Transportation Agency should be responsible for transportation system development in the regency.

Thousand Islands Regent Abdul Rahman Andit said there were currently 16 water taxis traveling around Kelapa Island, Panggang Island and Tidung Island.

Kelapa and Panggang Islands are situated in northern part of the regency, while Tidung Island is in the southern part.

"What we actually need is to determine how to best make use of existing water taxis," said Rahman.

"We also need to start thinking of providing life jackets and life insurance for passengers," he said.

The limited number and services of transportation modes has been a major problem in the regency, which has a population of 20,000.

As a result, the regency has seen development at a snail's pace and a low level of budget expenditure.

There are about 130 islands in the Thousand Islands regency. The administrative offices are concentrated on Pramuka Island but most people live on Kelapa Island. The islands has an airstrip on Panjang Island.

A number of small islands there have been developed into tourist areas and resorts for their serene beaches and water sports, like diving. Tourists usually go to Bidadari, Ayer, Kotok, Putri, Sepa and Bira.

Despite being part of the capital, the regency is far behind in terms of infrastructure development.

Despite complaints from vehicle owners of increased charges, the Jakarta administration maintains no decree has yet been passed to raise vehicle taxes for this year.

"We have yet to increase vehicle taxes this year because we already did last year," assistant to the City Secretary for Finance Sukri Bey said Friday.

He said his team had investigated allegations that motorists had been forced to pay higher fees at a number of Vehicle Document Centers (Samsat) in the city.

"Perhaps, officers at the Samsat had falsely recorded taxpayers' vehicle specifications, forcing them to pay more," he said, adding that such incidents had only occurred in South Jakarta.

Sukri said those forced to pay more would be refunded.

A Jakarta Police official in charge of vehicle ownership documents, Comr. Arman Achdiat, said the police had not received any reports on complaints of higher taxes from vehicle owners.

"We know nothing, not even if the city revenue agency has increased vehicle taxes," he said.

The latest bylaw on vehicle tax, issued in a gubernatorial regulation last year, stipulates that a motor vehicle owner must pay annual vehicle taxes based on vehicle specification, including year of production, engine capacity and vehicle type and brand.

However, Warta Kota reported Friday several complaints from vehicle owners that the city revenue agency had silently increased vehicle taxes.

They said vehicle tax increases, coupled with fuel price increases, had overburdened them.

Merdi Iskandar, 37, who owns a year 2000 110-cc motorcycle, said he had to spend Rp 127,500 (US$13.71) for vehicle tax and Rp 35,000 for vehicle insurance when he re-registered his vehicle on May 8 at the South Jakarta Samsat office in the Jakarta Police compound.

"I spent approximately Rp 135,000 only last year and that included vehicle tax, insurance and fines because I was late to pay taxes," he said.

"As the fines were quite cheap, perhaps I would have needed to pay only Rp 125,000 had I not been late in my tax payment last year," he said.

"Oddly, this year I had to pay Rp 162,000 for vehicle tax and insurance, without fines, although I know that number couldn't possibly be a result of insurance premium increases."

The Finance Ministry issued a new decree on March 10 for state insurance firm PT Jasa Raharja to increase insurance pay-outs for victims and families of transport accidents.

As a result, public- and private-vehicle owners are required to pay higher premiums on their vehicle registrations.

According to the decree, owners of motorcycles with engine capacities of between 50 and 250 cc must pay premiums of Rp 35,000 per vehicle annually, up from the current Rp 22,000.

Private car owners must pay Rp 143,000 for car engine capacities below 2,400 cc, up from Rp 73,000 last year.

Owners of public transport vehicles of engine capacities below 1,600 cc must pay insurance premiums of Rp 73,000, up from Rp 43,000 last year, while for engines bigger than 1,600 cc, the fee is Rp 90,000, up from Rp 53,000.

The Jakarta administration is taking a step toward creating more energy-efficient buildings by drafting green regulations for future and existing structures.

The regulations are being drafted by the Jakarta Property Management and Control Agency and will form the legal grounding for the green designs, agency head Hari Sasongko said Wednesday.

"Many cities in the world have applied the green building concept. We're late in doing so and it's time for us to follow suit as we face limited energy resources and fuel price increases," he told The Jakarta Post at City Hall during a seminar on green buildings.

"The agency is currently drafting regulations to enforce the concept," he said.

The seminar, which was attended by city officials, architects, building consultants, city planners and environmentalists, is the administration's first step toward the implementation of green buildings in the capital, Governor Fauzi Bowo said.

Many buildings in the city are classified as polluters because they are the city's largest energy consumers and largest waste producers, Hari said.

"It is hard to encourage developers to voluntarily erect green buildings because the designs are costly", he said. "That's why we need regulations to enforce greener buildings. We will stipulate incentives and punishments in the regulations."

He said governments in other countries offered lower land and building tax rates for those applying green designs. "We'll see whether such incentives are possible here."

In addition, he said, the regulations would be applicable to existing and future buildings.

"Existing buildings will have to make some adjustments," Hari said.

Green buildings capture sunlight through a transparent roof that illuminates the interior, while natural wind blows through architectural airways to provide ventilation.

A building is also classified as environmentally friendly if it produces low levels of waste and carbon.

"The concept is all about decreasing the use of air-conditioning and energy consumption through lights by using a ventilation system," Hari said.

"We will also promote greeneries for building roofs."

Fauzi said green designs would also be applied to public buildings.

Architect and urbanologist Ridwan Kamil said at an international seminar energy-saving designs were urgent for the densely populated capital as it had little space for green areas.

"The simplest way to make existing buildings greener, particularly for high-rise buildings, is to at least start by greening their roofs," he said.

A green roof, he said, would lead to an immediate drop of 1 to 2 degrees Celsius in a building's interior temperature.

The administration of Governor Fauzi Bowos has approved new taxi fares proposed by the Land Transportation Owners Organization (Organda) in line with fuel price increases.

The governor said the new cab fares were based on Rp 6,000 (64 US cents) flag fall, Rp 3,000 per kilometer and Rp 30,000 waiting fee per hour, as proposed by Organda.

The charges are up from Rp 5,000 for flag fall, Rp 2,500 per kilometer and Rp 25,000 waiting fee per hour.

"I agree with Organda's proposal. The new fares will be applied soon," Fauzi said Tuesday at City Hall.

The Organda-proposed fares have also been approved by the city transportation agency and the Jakarta Transportation Council.

Organda secretary TR Panjaitan said he was pleased that the governor would soon introduce the new fares, which "have been negotiated among taxi businesses".

"Taxi companies should charge a flag fall of Rp 8,000 but that's impossible as the number of passengers would drop," he said.

The Blue Bird Group has said it is considering adopting a 20 percent increase on its taxi fares to maintain services.

Blue Bird spokesman Teguh Wijayanto said he was optimistic that all of his company's taxis could maintain an occupancy rate of 50 to 60 percent, with a daily average of 300 kilometers.

"Learning from the 2005 fuel price hike, we may only lose some customers for the first six months and will regain their trust after that," he said.

Taxi operator PT Express Transindo Utama, which is one of many taxi operators that apply lower rates — also known as tarif lama — is yet to decide whether it will increase its fares, company operational director Herwan Gozali, said,

In response to mounting requests from commuters, state railway operator PT Kereta Api (KA) will soon begin running electric train services to Bogor, West Java and Serpong, Tangerang, at night.

PT KA's Greater Jakarta public relations head, Akhmad Sujadi, said Sunday the plan was prompted in part by the increased fuel prices.

"People, including the (Jakarta) Governor (Fauzi Bowo), have demanded electric train services in the evening, although they have yet to submit formal requests to our company" he told The Jakarta Post.

"Accordingly, we're responding to their requests through our plan," he said.

Akhmad said, however, the company had yet to calculate how many commuters would use the evening services.

The company recorded some 388,000 commuters using its services daily on the two routes last year, with a 30 percent ticket leakage, Akhmad said.

The plans, he said, would be finalized at a meeting today, before officially announcing the additional services on Tuesday morning.

"We still need more discussions to determine scheduling and security details," Akhmad said.

At present, PT KA operates its first trains from Bogor at 4 a.m. and from Serpong at 5 a.m., and the last trains leave Jakarta for Bogor at 9 p.m. and for Serpong at 7 p.m., he said.

Trains run every 15 minutes at peak times, and once an hour around midday, Akhmad said.

The company also needs to improve its ticket sales system, he said.

"We're still figuring out how to sell tickets for evening electric train services, because our ticket booths are usually closed at those times and our ticket officers leave at 7 p.m.," he said.

The company, he said, would charge commuters Rp 6,000 (64 U.S. cents) for a one-way ticket on an evening economy-class air conditioned electric train.

With the government imposing fuel price increases of an average 28.7 percent, almost all public vehicles have resorted to increasing their fares.

Last week, a number of public vehicles in Greater Jakarta held a two-day strike to protest the price increases, causing thousands of commuters to be stranded.

In response to the strike, Fauzi urged PT KA and busway operator TransJakarta to extend their service hours to midnight.

Public transportation observer Tulus Abadi of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation said he encouraged PT KA's plan to provide train services at night time.