The Pedestrian Coalition (KPJ) is protesting the construction of a vertical park near Tani Monument, Gambir, Central Jakarta, which assessed to be wasting the budget since made without proper calculation. In addition, the park is also considered has cut off pedestrian’s right because of cutting sidewalk.

The park is clearly snatching pedestrian’s right, because people become difficult to walk on the sidewalk

KPJ Chairman, Ahmad Syafrudin, requested Jakarta Parks and Cemeteries Department to evaluate the existence of vertical park located on Jalan Raya Cikini towards Jalan Ridwan Rais. “ The park is clearly snatching pedestrian’s right, because people become difficult to walk on the sidewalk ,” he said, Thursday (6/26).

According to Syafrudin, the construction of the vertical park is a waste of City Budget (APBD) because the park does not contribute significant changes to city’s beauty. “The vertical park is only a wasteful policy because it does not make the city beautiful. Moreover, its maintenance budget is expensive. If rain did not pour, the plants will be dead. It is a wasteful,” he asserted.

For that, Syafrudin requested related unit to demolish the vertical park since it is also ineffective to absorb vehicles’ pollution. “Only big trees with roots grow deep inside the soil or canopy trees like tamarind and mahogany that can absorb pollution,” he uttered.

Responding this, Head of Jakarta Parks and Cemeteries Department, Nandar Sunandar, admitted will evaluate the vertical park which built in 2013. “We’ll discuss it tomorrow and evaluate what the park to be used for, whether it needs to be decorated or not,” he stated.

Sunandar explained that theoretically the park functioned as vertical garden which produces oxygen from plants’ photosynthesis. Besides that, the park was also built to make Jakarta becomes more beautiful. “We will evaluate its design and arrangement to be better,” he told.