Sutiyoso refuses to stop housing projects<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso has voiced opposition to the central
\ngovernment's decision to stop development of housing projects in
\nGreater Jakarta, saying that such a suspension would only lead to
\nincreased unemployment.<\/p>\n
\"In my opinion, these projects must not be stopped, only re-
\nevaluated. Those which have been following correct procedure
\nshould be given the go-ahead, while those found violating the
\nzoning regulations should be stopped or punished,\" Sutiyoso told
\nreporters on Friday.<\/p>\n
He was commenting on a statement by Resettlement and Regional
\nInfrastructure Minister Soenarno, who ordered the suspension of
\nall construction projects in Jakarta for six months.<\/p>\n
The minister said that, during the six-month period, the
\ngovernment would evaluate all projects, both those being built
\nand those already completed, to find out whether they have
\nfulfilled environmental impact analysis (Amdal), and whether they
\nare in line with the city's master plan.<\/p>\n
He stressed that any project found in violation of zoning
\nregulations would have its license revoked.<\/p>\n
But according to Sutiyoso, a six-month period is too long for
\nevaluation of the projects. \"Suspension of various projects in
\nJakarta will just cause unemployment to rise,\" he said, without
\nelaboration.<\/p>\n
Soenarno could be considered as against the regional autonomy
\nlaw, which stipulates that the development process in regions --
\nfrom mayoralties to regencies to provinces -- falls under the
\nauthority of regional administrations, not the central
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Housing projects in Jakarta and its satellite cities (Bogor,
\nTangerang, Bekasi, and Depok) have come under scrutiny lately
\nafter city planning experts blamed them for being a major cause
\nbehind the recent floods in the city.<\/p>\n
The experts said that many of the projects had been built on
\npreviously designated green areas, leading to a reduction in
\nwater catchment areas, which decreased the city's ability to
\naccommodate water from heavy rains.<\/p>\n
There are hundreds of housing projects in Greater Jakarta. But
\n25 of them are considered as mega-property projects, with each
\nproject's area ranging from 500 hectares to 30,000 hectares. All
\nof the 25 projects have a total planned area of 96,915 hectares.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Tjuk Sudono, a member of the Jakarta City Council's
\nCommission D for development affairs, said that the Jakarta city
\nadministration and the City Council should revise the prevailing
\n1995-2010 master plan, a revision of a plan implemented for
\nbetween 1985 and 2005.<\/p>\n
He said that many of the housing projects were approved based
\non the 1995-2010 master plan, which changed many green areas into
\nred areas or commercial and housing complexes.<\/p>\n
Some experts suspected that the revised 1995-2010 master plan
\nwas made to accommodate some projects, including the
\ncontroversial Pantai Indah Kapuk, an exclusive housing complex on
\nthe former protected mangrove forests in Kapuk, North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"A master plan is drafted for the public interest, not for
\ncertain people's interests. If it is not in line with the public
\ninterest, or even caused people misery, we should revise it,\"
\nTjuk added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, head of the Jakarta City Planning Agency, Setiawan
\nKanani, said that revising the master plan would not be an easy
\ntask. \"It should not be implemented based on emotional
\nconsiderations,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Setiawan said that he did not believe that the Jakarta master
\nplan was a cause of the flooding. He blamed the inconsistency of
\nall parties -- government officials and the public -- rather than
\nthe plan, for having caused the problem.<\/p>\n
\"I think it is better if all parties be introspective about
\nthis, as all of us have made the mistakes in the past,\" he said,
\nreferring to the officials who had issued permits for
\nconstruction on green areas.<\/p>",
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