Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesian Ministerof Agriculture and Land Planning Sofyan Djalil was cited by local media assaying on August 22 that the country’s new capital would be built in EastKalimantan province on Borneo island.

However, the minister did not unveil theexact site where the new capital city will be located.

Sofyan’s remarks came afterIndonesian President Joko Widodo last week formally proposed to parliament moving the capitalfrom Jakarta.

The government has3,000-hectare (7,413 acres) of land in the province for the first stage ofdevelopment, Djalil told media.

Indonesia’s new capital would be designed asa sustainable smart city, which has an efficient public transport network aswell as green electricity and water supply systems.

According to local media, Bukit Soeharto areaor Samboja town may be chosen as the new administrative centre.

Construction of the new capital city wasestimated to require some 33 billion USD, including the building of newgovernment offices and accommodations for about 1.5 million civil servants.

The NationalDevelopment Planning Agency (Bappenas) said the relocation plan may begin in2024.

Jakarta is the largest city of Indonesia witha 9.6 million population, but its urban area accommodates up to nearly 30million people. Traffic congestion is costing its economy 7.04 billion USD eachyear. It is also prone to flooding due to low-lying location.

Themetropolitan region is sinking up to 18cm per year. Its road coverage is muchlower than that of other big cities, creating a near-permanent traffic jam.-VNA