City Hall warns defiant parking lot operators<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City administration is to send its first warning
\nletters on Monday to stubborn private parking lot operators, who
\ndisparage the city regulation by continuing to charge higher
\nparking fees than the official rate, officials said on Friday.<\/p>\n
Should the operators refuse to obey the warning letters to
\nlower their rates, the city administration will start sealing off
\ntheir parking machines, booths and gates from June 1 and allow
\nmotorists to enter the parking lots on free-of-charge basis, the
\nofficials explained.<\/p>\n
\"Officials of the City Parking Agency will conduct regular
\ncovert operations on weekends to collect evidence on parking lots
\nthat still charge higher fees,\" city spokesman Muhayat told
\nreporters at City Hall.<\/p>\n
\"The warning letters, to be signed on Monday, will be based on
\nthe monitoring result conducted this weekend,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Gubernatorial decree No.1698\/1999 sets the first hour parking
\nfee at Rp 1,000 (13 US cents) at busy areas and Rp 500 at less
\nbusy areas.<\/p>\n
Parking operators excused their non-compliance because of
\nconfusion on when the lower fee is to be effective, May 1 or June
\n1.<\/p>\n
\"The operators were supposed to lower the parking fee by May
\n1, but city administration will give time for them to change
\ntheir systems and signboards until May 31,\" Muhayat said.<\/p>\n
\"Meantime, they are urged to register their parking lots at
\nthe agency to acquire required licenses,\" he said, adding that
\nthe process was free of charge.<\/p>\n
According to Muhayat, Governor Sutiyoso has asked the agency
\nto follow all legal procedures.<\/p>\n
\"The agency must take firm actions against all defiant parking
\noperators without skipping the procedures. We must uphold the
\nsupremacy of the law,\" the governor was quoted as saying by
\nMuhayat.<\/p>\n
The city administration learned a lesson after it lost a
\nlawsuit for sealing off the headquarters of the widely
\ndiversified Humpuss Group of companies without any prior warning
\nletters.<\/p>\n
Interviewed separately, acting Deputy Governor for Economic
\nand Finance affairs Budihardjo Soekmadi told reporters that there
\nwould be no mercy for disobedient operators.<\/p>\n
\"We will seal off the parking booths and machines of the
\nstubborn ones starting from June 1 and allow motorists to park
\ntheir cars.<\/p>\n
We won't seal off the parking lots because residents need the
\nfacilities,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"It means residents can park their vehicles for free at the
\ndefiant parking lots,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The tough decision will be carried out only after the parking
\nlot operators receive three warning letters from the city
\nadministration, to be sent each Monday beginning May 8 to May 22.<\/p>\n
The threat, however, has been challenged by the Indonesian
\nAssociation of Shopping Complex Management (APPBI), saying it
\nwould file a lawsuit against city administration for closing the
\nparking lots.<\/p>\n
\"They don't have any rights to seal off our parking lots as
\nstipulated by the 1997 Governmental Regulation on Tax and Levy
\nfor Regional Administrations,\" association chairman of Jakarta
\nchapter, Stefanus Ridwan said recently.<\/p>\n
\"City administration has no right to intervene with privately-
\nrun parking lots. If they were built by the administration, it
\nwould be fine to set the fee,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Budihardjo, however, said the regulation was to protect the
\ninterest of residents from skyrocketing parking fees.<\/p>\n
\"Our intention is to set uniform low parking fees,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The main alleged antagonist rejecting the lower parking fee is
\nPT Securindo Packatama Indonesia, which under the name Secure
\nParking, manages many parking lots at shopping centers and office
\nbuildings in the capital.<\/p>\n
Drivers parking on lots under its supervision are usually
\ncharged Rp 2,000 per hour on average, double the official rate.<\/p>\n
Many residents criticized the operator as it couldn't assure
\nthe safety of vehicles parked on its premises.<\/p>\n
\"What is so 'secure' with Secure Parking then, if it can't
\nsecure my car,\" was the typical complaint voiced by residents
\nafter their cars were stolen or damaged.<\/p>\n
Company president Rustam Rahmat and other executives were
\nreluctant to speak to the press about the matter.<\/p>\n
Muhayat admitted that Secure Parking was the forerunner of
\noperators defying city administration's ruling on parking fees.<\/p>\n
\"If you don't want to pay the parking fee, don't park here,\"
\nhe quoted the company as saying at a meeting last Tuesday. (nvn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-hall-warns-defiant-parking-lot-operators-1447893297",
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