Jakarta Governor Asks Adhi Karya to Dismantle Abandoned Monorail Pillars

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung Wibowo plans to clear out the long-abandoned monorail pillars along H.R. Rasuna Said and Asia Afrika roads. He said he would request PT Adhi Karya, the state-owned company that owns the pillars, to carry out the demolition.

According to Pramono, PT Adhi Karya has the legal rights and authority to dismantle the pillars. He cited a court ruling that supports this authority, adding that the government now fully understands the legal issues surrounding the stalled monorail project.

The Jakarta provincial government will formally send a letter to Adhi Karya requesting the demolition. Pramono said he has already consulted the Deputy Attorney General for Civil and State Administrative Affairs (Jamdatun) regarding the legal basis for this move.

"The Jakarta government has also received legal guidance from Jamdatun confirming that Adhi Karya holds the right to dismantle the structure. We will write to them accordingly," Pramono said in a written statement on Wednesday, June 11.

If Adhi Karya declares it is unable to carry out the demolition, Pramono said the Jakarta administration would step in and take over the cleanup. "If, for instance, Adhi Karya says it cannot do it, then the Jakarta government will act to remove them," said the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) politician.

Construction of Jakarta's monorail pillars began in 2004, undertaken by a consortium of PT Jakarta Monorail and Singapore's Omnico. Then-President Megawati Soekarnoputri inaugurated the project in June 2004. The project, launched under Governor Sutiyoso, was initially led by PT Adhi Karya.

Per Tempo's archives, PT Jakarta Monorail resumed work on the Casablanca-Karet line which is about five kilometers long in 2005, with 14 planned stations along the route. But the project stalled.

PT Jakarta Monorail had conducted load testing on the Asia Afrika section. Construction later halted due to funding issues, as the contractor struggled to secure investments without government co-financing.

The monorail was estimated to require a total investment of US$670 million, with around US$470 million sourced from foreign loans. The project was abandoned again in 2007, and then-Governor Fauzi Bowo officially shut it down.

In 2013, Joko Widodo as governor attempted to revive the monorail project with new conditions. He presided over the groundbreaking ceremony that October and rebranded it the Jakarta Eco Transport (JET). The project remained under PT Jakarta Monorail. However, Jokowi left his post in 2014 after being elected president.

His deputy, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok), succeeded him and again terminated the project in 2015. According to Ahok, the contractor failed to meet any of the 15 conditions required by the capital government.

Lani Diana contributed to the writing of this article.

Editor's Choice: Jakarta Council Backs Plan to Remove Abandoned Monorail Pillars

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