Hotel Mulia project to go ahead<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The municipality has no objection to the
\nconstruction of Hotel Mulia Senayan's controversial second tower
\neven though it is located in a green area, in Central Jakarta, an
\nofficial said yesterday.<\/p>\n
The head of the city's planning agency, Ahmaddin Ahmad, said
\nthere is no problem with the proposed location of the hotel's 56-
\nstory apartment project.<\/p>\n
\"If we look at the bigger picture, the construction of the
\nhotel's tower is not a problem because other high-rise buildings
\nhave already been constructed there,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Ahmaddin cited other multistory buildings in the Senayan area,
\nincluding Hilton Hotel, Plaza Senayan, Ratu Plaza and Manggala
\nWanabhakti.<\/p>\n
Hotel Mulia was widely criticized recently when it became
\nknown that it was located in a green area and the first tower
\nviolated its high-rise building permit.<\/p>\n
Instead of constructing a 16-story building, the management
\nturned it into a 40-story hotel and will have to pay a fine to
\nthe city administration for the breach.<\/p>\n
A representative of the hotel's management, Enggartiasto
\nLukita, said earlier this week that the planned construction of
\nthe 56-story tower was to be delayed due to the current monetary
\ncrisis.<\/p>\n
Enggartiasto said the hotel would only be fined for the second
\ntower but Ahmaddin maintained that the management should pay a Rp
\n92.8 billion (US$28.55 million) fine if it goes ahead with the
\nsecond tower.<\/p>\n
\"But until now the management has not paid a single cent
\ntoward the fine,\" Ahmaddin said.<\/p>\n
Hotel Mulia Senayan was erected on a four-hectare plot of land
\nin Senayan which was earmarked as a green area.<\/p>\n
Ahmaddin said the then governor had allowed the hotel
\nmanagement to build the 40-story tower -- instead of the approved
\n16 stories -- to accommodate some 1,800 athletes participating in
\nthe 19th SEA Games last month.<\/p>\n
\"If it was built with only 16 stories, the hotel would only
\nhave a capacity of some 300 rooms. It was not enough.\"<\/p>\n
Ahmaddin said the then governor agreed with the construction
\nof the second tower.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the City Council's Indonesian Democratic Party
\nfaction, Lukman Mokoginta, reiterated his opposition yesterday to
\nthe planned tower.<\/p>\n
\"Previously, the reason given was to accommodate the SEA Games
\nathletes. The games are over, why then does the management still
\nwant to build the second tower.\"<\/p>\n
Lukman said that he did not agree with Ahmaddin's big picture
\nview of the construction.<\/p>\n
\"The problem is that the city needs green areas.<\/p>\n
\"The governor should be bold enough to stop construction work
\non the second tower,\" he said. (ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hotel-mulia-project-to-go-ahead-1447893297",
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