Supervising development<\/p>\n
The local adage that certain people can see a bacteria across
\nthe sea more clearly than they can see an elephant standing right
\nbefore their eyes aptly depicts a reality Jakartans have lived
\nwith for some time. In fact, residents of this nation's capital
\nhave become so used to reports of irregularities in development
\nprojects that such stories just don't seem to shock any more.<\/p>\n
The crux of the problem appears to be that the officials sent
\nout routinely by the city administration to supervise the
\nlegality of construction activities are not adept at spotting
\nelephants. It is a well known fact that unauthorized projects go
\non in clear view of the public all of the time. This has gone on
\nfor years, if not decades.<\/p>\n
Just recently the questionable development of a golf course
\non Big Bira island in the Jakarta Bay became public knowledge.
\nApparently the entire project had been undertaken without the
\nproper permits. Worse still, the work done by the private-sector
\ncompany, PT Pulau Seribu Paradise, was found to be having a
\ndisastrous impact on the environment.<\/p>\n
One might ask: \"How could this possibly have happened in the
\ncapital city, which is supposed to set an example for the proper
\nmanagement of development programs throughout the nation?\"<\/p>\n
The list of violations of city regulations would seem endless
\nif we also took into account the construction of multi-story
\nbuildings and housing complexes going on without permits or in
\nviolation of permit stipulations with a permit throughout the
\ncapital over the years.<\/p>\n
There are far too numerous demonstrations of arrogance and
\ngreed among developers, ranging from the manipulation of land
\ntitles to the refusal to build the facilities required under
\nregulations, including adequate parking areas for high-rise
\nstructures, or schools, parks and sports centers in housing
\ncomplexes. Many developers also have neglected the provision of
\nroads, ditches and street illumination for their projects. They
\nalso blatantly disregard any inconvenience caused to the public
\nby the damage done to streets by their heavy trucks which
\ntransport soil and rocks to and from their constructions sites.<\/p>\n
Now, on top of all of this, a great deal of confusion has been
\ngenerated in the last couple of weeks concerning the construction
\nactivities at the Palm Estate housing complex. The construction
\nof 207 luxury houses on a seven-hectare plot of land in East
\nJakarta was reported to have taken place without a building
\npermit. The situation was such that East Jakarta Mayor Sudarsono
\nthreatened to stop services to the developer, a firm which
\napparently held a subcontract for construction from the owner of
\nthe property, until a permit was procured.<\/p>\n
Then just yesterday, the chief of the City Development and
\nSupervision Office, Suharto, said that the work at Palm Estate
\nwas covered by the necessary building permit. He clarified that
\nthe permit had been issued in the name of PD Sarana Jaya, the
\ncity-owned housing company that owned the land. He said the East
\nJakarta mayor should have asked his office for information
\nconcerning the status of the Palm Estate project.<\/p>\n
Clearly this case only goes to show the lack of organization
\nin the issuance of permits, and, worst of all, the lack of
\ncoordination among the agencies responsible for issuing permits
\nand monitoring construction processes.<\/p>\n
With such blind spots existing on the part of the authorities,
\ndevelopers can be caught in the lurch, thinking they had the
\nright to start construction, only to find someone questioning the
\nvalidity of their activities. Worse yet, some of the more
\nunscrupulous developers get away with blatantly defying
\nregulations.<\/p>\n
What is happening with the city building inspectors who are
\nexpected to monitor the development projects in the capital? Are
\nthey incapable of carrying out the task? Are they being
\ninfluenced to turn a blind eye? Or do they simply fail to see the
\ngross violations occurring all around them?<\/p>\n
Clearly it is high time for a serious investigation into the
\nreasons for this chronic state of affairs. And the first step
\nnecessary toward solving the problem is for the city
\nadministration to admit publicly that its development supervision
\nsystem needs a thorough overhaul.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/supervising-development-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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