NUSANTARA Capital City (IKN) is a megaproject of unrestrained ambition, as the planners of Indonesia’s future capital envision facilities straight out of science fiction, from smart buildings powered by renewables to flying cars.
However, questions about how realistic such plans are grow louder by the day, as the inauguration deadline nears for what some say might be the single biggest contributor to President Joko Widodo’s legacy.
The money to build it all is nowhere to be seen, notwithstanding the availability of almost all of the required technology.
Nusantara is scheduled to be inaugurated next year, when Indonesia celebrates its 79th anniversary of independence on Aug 17. When asked whether its basic smart city infrastructure would be ready by then, IKN Authority undersecretary for green and digital transformation Ali Berawi answered: “Inshallah (God willing).”
Ali said the basic part of building a smart city was its connectivity infrastructure, which included electricity distribution and fibre-optic Internet.
As part of the first phase of construction, both are to be delivered by the city’s inauguration.
Cables for these, explained Ali, would be placed underground inside what is known as multi-utility tunnels, which would also house the city’s piping and sewage system for convenient maintenance.
Followed by the construction of command and data centres, the technology infrastructure for the first phase of IKN, or the central government area, would then be ready for the implementation of further smart city features, said Ali.
“There are 451 days until Aug 17 (2024), and so far, the progress is on track,” Ali said.
He said the IKN Authority had inked a deal with South Korean automotive manufacturer Hyundai to procure “flying cars” for IKN, which he said were in fact five-seat passenger drones planned to be put on display and demonstrated in public in Nusantara next year.
“According to our calculation, the fare for these drones is neck and neck with that of premium taxis... and the production cost is not high, when compared to helicopters,” Ali said.
However, Ali admitted that investment was the biggest hurdle to realising the megaproject.
Trisakti University city planning expert Nirwono Joga said Nusantara might be ready for the inauguration ceremony next year, but whether it would be a proper city by that time was questionable.
“If it’s to be considered a city, of course it won’t be ready (by 2024), let alone a livable one; that’s still far away,” Prof Nirwono told The Jakarta Post last week.
Nusantara might just have main roads, some government buildings and apartments for civil servants by the inauguration day, he speculated.
“The government’s failure to build livable cities in Indonesia has placed all the burden on (Nusantara) to become that ideal one, making it too ambitious and unrealistic,” said Prof Nirwono, adding that lofty expectations could set the project up for failure.
Constructing a city was “never instant” and could not be done hastily, as a city had to go through long-term “natural steps and processes” before it could grow, Prof Nirwono emphasised.
He added that regarding public transportation, the government should be mindful about the needs, otherwise it would be a waste of resources, since maintenance was never cheap. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
