T

he city administration will distribute hundreds of billions of rupiah in grants to neighboring cities, namely Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi, to finance infrastructure projects that will also benefit the capital city.

Deputy Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama unveiled the plan after dinner with neighbor administration leaders on Wednesday night.

The closed-door meeting, which was held at the Kahyangan japanese restaurant in Wisma Nusantara, Central Jakarta, was attended by Deputy Bogor Mayor Usmar Hariman, South Tangerang Mayor Airin Rachmi Diany, Tangerang Mayor Arief Rachadiono Wismansyah, Tangerang Regent Ahmed Zaki Iskandar, Deputy Bogor Regent Nurhayanti, Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi and Bekasi city secretary Muhyidin. Bogor Mayor Bima Arya and Depok Mayor Nurmahmudi were unable to attend due to prior engagements.

'€œWe have agreed that the city administration will distribute at least Rp 100 billion [US$8.29 million] to each city and regency to fund infrastructure projects that support Jakarta.

'€œJakarta is a big city so it has to help the neighboring cities. We should remove the paradigm whereby they are considered our satellite cities. They are our partner cities,'€ Ahok said.

The deputy governor said he believed that the benefits would be shared.

'€œWe aim to expand Jakarta, so we should do something about it. Over the years, the city administration distributed just Rp 2 billion to Rp 4 billion to each city and regency. That was barely enough [to fund] anything,'€ he said.

Among the infrastructure projects that would likely be funded include the extension of Transjakarta lanes and flood-mitigation projects like the construction of reservoirs in Bogor regency.

'€œWe also aim to develop a housing complex and build low-cost apartments for civil servants in Ciangir [Tangerang regency], as we have a 100-hectare land plot there. The area is also near a railway station, so residents can take trains to Jakarta,'€ he said.

Ahmed said that the Tangerang regency had also proposed the construction of an access road that would connect Jl. Raya Dadap with the Prof. Dr. Sedyatmo toll road, reducing traffic gridlock on the way to the airport.

Airin lauded the plan, saying that the funds would expedite various infrastructure projects.

'€œPreviously, we received grants from Jakarta, but the amount was limited and it was sometimes disbursed too late. In 2012, I had to reject a grant from the city because the [South Tangerang] city budget draft bylaw had been endorsed,'€ she said.

Airin said that her administration would designate already-planned infrastructure projects as recipients of grant funding.

The regional leaders also commended the forum.

'€œThis is the first time that all of us have gathered in a forum like this, which is good. Communication is the key. We are partners and the superior one should assist the others,'€ Ahmed said.