66 developers to be investigated

TANGERANG (JP): Tangerang administration will investigate 66 developers for allegedly not allocating part of their plots for public graveyards, an official said.

Assistant to administration affairs, Agus Burhanudi, said a team had been set up to investigate the issue.

"Developers which do not provide an area for public graveyards can be punished in accordance to a government regulation," Agus said over the weekend.

He said developers who wanted to open housing complexes in Tangerang should buy land provided by the city administration to be used as graveyards.

Many developers have defended their position, blaming the situation on the slump in property business.

Forty developers have so far given away 24.7 hectares of their property to be used for public cemeteries, he said.

"We have used some areas for graveyards, including the Pancasila cemetery on the safety zone near the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport," Agus said.

People whose relatives were buried at public cemeteries in Tangerang should pay Rp 50,000 (US$17) for the first two-years and a Rp 5,000 administration fee, he said. (41/cst)