180 illegal cafes in Kemang to be closed
180 illegal cafes in Kemang to be closed
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta administration announced yesterday
that it will proceed with a plan to close 180 cafes in Kemang,
South Jakarta.
The deputy governor for administrative affairs, Abdul Kahfi,
said the cafes were being closed for failing to comply with
building permit regulations.
Kahfi said the authority to seal the cafes had been given to
South Jakarta mayor Pardjoko.
Pardjoko said yesterday his administration would seal the
cafes, which he would not name, some time before the end of
December, when the Moslem fasting month starts.
Kahfi said that 112 out of the 180 cafes did not have any
permits, and many cafes were only using housing permits. A
business that serves food and plays music can need up to 40
different permits.
He said that in addition to breaching permit regulations, the
cafes had ignored objections from religious figures that they
were too close to centers of worship and interfered with
religious activities.
"They ignore the objections and continue to perform their
activities," he said.
Kahfi said that the cafes' patrons' vehicles created traffic
congestion in the area.
He said the municipality would take "stern action" by sealing
the buildings and making sure that they were used only as
residences.
Kahfi said that only 41 cafes in Kemang held commercial site
permits. These would be allowed to continue to operate, he said.
Kahfi said that Governor Sutiyoso had ordered his subordinates
to be consistent in administering building permit regulations.
He said some of the cafes had commercial building permits that
were issued wrongly by the administration, because they were in
residential areas. These cafes would not have their permits
extended after they expired.
The controversy over the Kemang cafes began when former
governor Surjadi Soedirdja issued an instruction in March to have
all Kemang building permits checked because many of the buildings
in the area had been turned into cafes and other businesses.
Administration data shows that 90 percent of Kemang properties
are used for commercial purposes, whereas city regulations allow
only 15 percent to be.
Kahfi said that the administration would introduce "a one-door
policy" for cafe permit issuance in the Kemang area.
"The only office able to issue cafe permits will be that of
the South Jakarta mayor," he said.
Pardjoko said that to seal the cafes would not be an easy job
because it related to people's livelihoods.
"That's why I will be careful in implementing the sealing
process," he said.
When asked to comment, Mohammad Danisworo, the head of the
city's architectural agency and head of a special team
reassessing buildings in Kemang, praised the city's decision.
"I believe we can learn so much from this case. Kemang is not
the first and only area like this.
"In almost every part of the city, there has been improper
land use due to the city's inconsistency in applying regulations
and insensitivity to the changes and demands of the fast-growing
urban society," he said.
"I hope the municipality can learn from Kemang, Kebayoran and
Menteng so in the future it will be extra careful in determining
land use and applying consistent land use rules and regulations."
Danisworo also suggested the city set better regulations
regarding its spatial planning and create thorough urban design
guidelines to prevent similar cases happening in the future.
(07/ind)