TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - North Jakarta Mayor Heru Budi Harono said that the North Jakarta administration would not take part in the 2015 Adipura award, which was meant to honor the best environmental programs for clean and green cities nationwide.

“I have sent the withdrawal letter to the Environment Ministry,” Heru told Tempo at his office on Tuesday, June 10, 2014.

Heru said the main reason behind the withdrawal was that they still had many ongoing projects at locations that were being assessed by the Adipura committee. The projects, he added, included Pluit reservoir revitalization, Jakarta Emergency Dredging Initiative (JEDI), PGN Piping facility and Tanjung Priok toll road.

“We’re not confident enough to participate in the competition. So, we’re focusing on how to finish the projects by 2016,” Heru said.

Earlier, five municipalities and a regency in Jakarta failed to win Adipura award in 2014. The capital’s cleanliness was considered to be no better than four other metropolitan cities like Surabaya, Tangerang, Palembang and Malang, which have won the Adipura Kencana award from the Environment Ministry.

ISTMAN MP