Jakarta. The administration of Bogor municipality will receive only a tenth of the figure it has proposed for financial aid from Jakarta, following the Home Affairs Ministry’s decision to cut Rp 3.6 trillion ($231 million) from spending plans this year.

Out of the Rp 131 billion in financial assistance that Jakarta had requested to help reduce run-off floods in the capital, only Rp 13 billion was approved, according to Bogor Mayor Bima Arya Sugiarto.

Deforestation in Bogor, known as the City of Rain and located upstream from Jakarta, has long been blamed for widespread flooding in the capital, especially during the rainy season.

“This year, Jakarta will disburse Rp 13 billion in funds for Bogor. The amount is quite different from our initial proposal,” Bima told reporters in Bogor on Monday.

He added that the Bogor administration would try to cover the resulting shortage with funds meant for a number of other programs. These include the development of a dam, wells and biopore infiltration holes to absorb rainwater and prevent it from flowing into the capital on its way to the sea.

Bogor officials had also planned to develop a “park and ride” concept for public transportation with a portion of the expected Rp 3.6 trillion, Bima said.

The mayor did not elaborate on whether the project would be scrapped or merely postponed.

The reduction in financial aid is due to cuts made in the Jakarta administration’s budget following scrutiny from the Home Affairs Ministry, from Rp 72.9 trillion to Rp 69.3 trillion.

The decision has not only affected Bogor, but Jakarta’s other satellite cities as well, Bima added.

Financial aid for the capital’s suburbs, which include Tangerang, Bekasi and Depok, has been reduced to Rp 399.3 billion in total.

The district of Bogor, which encircles Bogor municipality, will receive Rp 67.4 billion, short of the initially proposed Rp 100.4 billion.

Tangerang will receive Rp 100 billion from the Rp 2.4 trillion its officials requested, while South Tangerang is set to receive Rp 74.8 billion, from the initial figure of Rp 164.8 billion.

The municipality of Bekasi will get Rp 98.1 billion from the proposed Rp 200 billion, and though it requested Rp 100 billion, Bekasi district will receive Rp 18.8 billion.

The post Financial Aid Cut Puts Dent in Bogor Development Projects appeared first on The Jakarta Globe.

Source: The Jakarta Globe