No longer Jakarta, Nusantara will be the new capital of Indonesia
Indonesia is going to change its capital. The new capital will be named Nusantara. A bill related to this was approved by the Indonesian Parliament on Tuesday. Nusantara is in the East Kalimantan region, which is part of the island of Borneo. According to an estimate, about $33 billion will be spent from the national exchequer on the construction of the new capital. All the ministries and foreign missions-embassies of the central government will be shifted to Nusantara. However, when will the new capital be ready? The picture is not clear about this yet. However, the ground construction work will start by the first quarter of 2024, that is, by March.
Bill approved after 3 years
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo introduced a bill in Parliament for the first time in the year 2019 to set up a new capital. A special committee was formed to consider this. This proposal was given the form of a bill. Now it has been approved. The administration of the new capital will rest with the chief of the State Capital Authority. Although Borneo is a large island, Nusantara will be settled on 256,142 hectares.
The dangers of setting up a new capital are also not less
Nusantara is part of the Borneo island of Kalimantan. The island of Borneo is naturally very beautiful. There are dense forests and small rivers. According to ‘The Guardian’, when Nusantara is under construction, there will be less greenery in this area and this will affect the eco-system. Pollution will also increase. Rainy forests will be less and due to this it will be difficult for wild animals to live. Here bears and long-nosed monkeys are found more. If their territory is snatched, then they can become violent too.
Administration and budget
- Nusantara will be under a Chief of Authority. The rank of this chief will be that of a cabinet minister.
- The new capital will be built under the World City Vision. Like Dubai or Singapore.
- Total budget is not mentioned in the bill passed by the Parliament.
- It is believed that this expenditure will be about 33 billion dollars. This money will come from the national budget.
- All government offices and embassies will be shifted to Nusantara only.
Why the need to change capital?
- Jakarta has a population of more than 1 crore.
- It is one of the most polluted cities in the world.
- The traffic is so bad that even the minister cannot reach the office on time.
- For about 15 years, there has been a demand to make another city the capital.
- According to President Widodo – there is no place for business or trade here.
- Jakarta has been the capital of Indonesia since independence in 1949.
Why not Jakarta?
- Jakarta is part of the island of Java with 60% of the country’s population.
- Its area is 661.5 square kilometers.
- An average of 1 to 15 cm every year. Drowning in the sea.
- By the year 2050, a large part could be covered in the sea.
- There are 13 rivers here and the land is very marshy.
- This area is prone to frequent floods.
- Loss of $6.8 billion every year due to bad traffic.
Why Nusantara?
- Nusantara part of North Kalimantan
- Its area is 127,346.92 sq km.
- Kalimantan is 2300 km from Jakarta. Far flung
- Close to this beautiful Borneo island
- Malaysia and Brunei close borders
Why and how the name Nusantara?
According to Indonesia’s Urban Development Minister Suraraso Monorfa- Nusantara in Indonesian language means a place which is surrounded by water on all sides. We got 80 names. Out of these Nusantara was finally shortlisted. It is also easy to remember. Historical things are also associated with it and they are the identity of this country.
Even before this, many countries have changed their capital
- The capital of Brazil was Rio de Janeiro. Now it’s Brasilia.
- The old capital of Nigeria was Lagos. Now it’s Abuja.
- The capital of Kazakhstan was Almaty. Now it is Nur-Sultan.
- The former capital of Myanmar was Rangoon. Now it’s Napida.
Our capital was also Calcutta earlier
Earlier the capital of India during the British era was not Delhi, but Calcutta (now Kolkata). On 11 December 1911, George V announced to shift it to Delhi. It took two decades for this exercise to be completed. Delhi became the new capital of the country on 13 February 1931. However, the reason for making Delhi the capital was the British’s own approach. It is believed that they considered Kolkata to be a remote part and Delhi to a large extent in the middle. The British believed that it would be easier to hold the entire country from here than in Kolkata.
