Jakarta wants DMRC’s expertise for its own metro
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will now give Jakarta a lesson or two in handling public affairs, reports Atul Mathur.
After successfully moulding public opinion in favour of the Metro and ensuring people are not harassed during construction, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will now give Jakarta a lesson or two in handling public affairs.
Concerned that the narrow and congested streets of Jakarta will further shrink when Metro construction begins in the city, Mass Rapid Transit Jakarta (MRTJ) is keen to understand the methodologies the DMRC adopted in Delhi to ensure smooth implementation of the project. MRTJ is the agency developing the metro network in Jakarta. Both Jakarta and New Delhi have massive populations, traffic bottlenecks and depend largely on road transport.
“Roads in Jakarta are just 21 metres wide and packed. At least eight metres of space are required during construction. It will leave little space for vehicles. The agency wants advice on how to handle the public during construction,” DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said.
An Indonesian delegation, including its Assistant Deputy Minister for Transportation Mesra Eza, representatives of the Jakarta Transport Council, Mass Rapid Transit Jakarta and the Indonesian Economic Development Board visited the Delhi Metro on Thursday to get a first-hand feel of the system. It discussed the possibility of DMRC providing consultancy services to Jakarta.
Jakarta is building a 14.3-km-long Metro line in its first phase at an estimated cost of $ 21.69 million. The first line is expected to be operational by 2015. According to Dayal, DMRC may sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MRTJ soon.