JAKARTA, Sept 9 — Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that Jakarta, which has been haunted by severe congestion for many years, is no longer ideal as the centre of commerce, government and the nation’s capital, reports China’s Xinhua news agency today.

“Honestly... (Jakarta) is no longer ideal,” said Susilo, while calling for an extraordinary solution to the problem of Greater Jakarta.

Congestion is the one issue consistently on the minds of more than 13 million people here.

He said there was no longer a balance in the ratio between people and their surrounding environment.

Speaking at a meeting with chief and senior editors of national media at the State Palace last night, the president said the complications posed by the rapid growth of Jakarta were complex.

The number of motor vehicles, for example, rose 10 to 15 per cent annually, compared to the number of new roads which, according to Susilo (picture), amounted to a miniscule 0.01 per cent per year.

Other problems include population density and drainage issues.

With traffic in many parts of the capital coming to an inefficient standstill, the central government has begun taking steps to seek alternatives, he said.

Without elaborating, the president said he has been absorbing as much information as possible in the last three months and working with a small team to look at various alternatives.

Susilo said once started this project would consume the better part of a decade or even more with construction taking about five to six years, and the supporting infrastructure about two or three years.

While he did not indicate any specific location, the president said centrality would be important.

“But centrality does not necessarily mean geographically central,” he said. — Bernama