Poor electrical installation common<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As many as 700 buildings, including some
\nhigh-rises, in the city have poorly installed electrical systems,
\na businessman has said.<\/p>\n
Mangatar Tobing, spokesman of the Indonesian Electricity
\nContractors Association, told reporters Tuesday that most
\ndevelopers only tried to provide electricity at the lowest
\npossible cost.<\/p>\n
\"They rarely hire legal electrical contractors,\" he said after
\na meeting with Governor Sutiyoso. Instead, construction workers
\nwith little knowledge of electrical installation were often used
\nto set up a building's electrical system at a far lower price.<\/p>\n
\"Such practices have been going on for years,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Poor electrical installations had led to many fires and other
\naccidents in the city last year, Mangatar said.<\/p>\n
He urged city officials to take firm action against developers
\nwho made shortcuts for the sake of greater profits.<\/p>\n
\"This is very dangerous. If a high-rise building is equipped
\nwith a faulty electrical system, it could be prone to fire. And
\nif the installation is only entrusted to some regular
\nconstruction workers, who would be held responsible?\" he said.<\/p>\n
On top of substandard electrical systems, many buildings were
\npoorly maintained, worsening the situation, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Developers only think about how to make a bigger profit by
\nspending less. They intentionally ignore dangers for the sake of
\ntheir own pockets,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Moreover, most electrical systems have not been checked for
\nyears. They should be checked every six months. But building
\nowners seem to have forgotten this, too,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Mangatar said that electrical problems tended to be made the
\nscapegoat every time a fire occurred or an accident happened.<\/p>\n
\"Actually if building owners gave more attention to this
\nmatter, such problems could be easily avoided,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He urged the municipality to enforce Law No. 15\/1983 regarding
\nthe installation of electrical systems in buildings throughout
\nthe city.<\/p>\n
\"The law states that every developer must hire professional
\nelectrical contractors, recommended by the state-owned electric
\ncompany, to install the system within each building,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Ordinance<\/p>\n
In a bid to prevent future accidents, he said the municipality
\nand the association, with the help of related parties, were
\ncurrently preparing an ordinance on electrical installations.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully, we can submit the ordinance proposal within two
\nmonths. It's a long process... but we are optimistic that this
\nstep will lead to better safety and more secure electrical
\nsystems,\" Mangatar said.<\/p>\n
When asked about whether the prices of electrical components
\nwere rising due to the monetary situation, he admitted that
\nprices had jumped for almost every item, ranging from cables to
\nlamps.<\/p>\n
\"This leap is also affecting the price for installation
\nservices. Currently, the fee for installing one electrical
\nfitting is Rp 30,000 (US$3.75). We are not sure about the prices
\nanymore... we'll probably have to raise the service price by at
\nleast 20 percent,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Electrical installation businesses have been hit hard by the
\nmonetary crisis because most of their equipment and components
\nare still imported and paid in U.S. dollars.<\/p>\n
\"Basically, we want to provide the best service to our
\ncustomers. But we have to be realistic here. It's impossible for
\nus not to raise our prices because all of the material is also
\nclimbing in price,\" he added. (edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/poor-electrical-installation-common-1447893297",
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