Apartment project protested
Apartment project protested
JAKARTA (JP): About 15 residents of Bendungan Hilir
subdistrict in Central Jakarta filed a complaint yesterday with
the City Council over PT Sari Lembah Hijau's development of the
Park Royale apartment complex.
The residents protested the city administration's decision to
issue a permit for the apartment's block plan, which is not in
line with city planning.
Rio Tambunan, one of the residents, told members of the City
Council's Commission D, which oversees development affairs, that
the developers plan a road 12 meters in width, while the city
administration had only planned for five meters.
"We are worried that in the future the city administration
will recognize and approve the developer's plan and appropriate
land about nine meters into our land," said Rio, a former head of
the city planing agency.
He explained that according to the developer's plan, the
distance from the residents' land to the apartments should be 18
meters while currently it is only nine meters.
Rio said that it is wrong to change city planning to suit the
developer's interests. "This is the reality as the city
administration tends to adjust city planning to each developer's
projects," he said.
The residents who filed the complaint claimed to represent 82
families who live adjacent to the project, which is not due to be
completed until 1997.
The developer is building the third tower of the Park Royale
luxury apartments on Jl. Gatot Subroto.
Head of the commission Bandjar Marpaung said that the
commission has checked the matter with the city administration
and found out that the developer has met all the official
requirements.
"The developer has all the permits required, including one
from the city public works agency to build a fence on the Ciragil
river and a land appropriation permit," Bandjar said.
Meanwhile, Rio said that it is important to review the city's
decisions. "Is it right to sacrifice us for the interest of a big
business," he asked.
The residents have also complained about the air and noise
pollution from construction work to the governor as well as the
city development supervision agency.
The company noisily carries on construction work 24 hours a
day, while the piling work shakes the houses nearby.
The residents are also worried about the possibility of an
accident because the arm of the project's giant crane is
operating above a residential area.
In addition, since the project began, wells in the area have
been drying up and the quality of the water has deteriorated so
much so that it can no longer be used.
The residents are also complaining about both the quantity and
quality of water supplied by PAM Jaya, the city-owned water
company. The developer provided PAM with water to alleviate the
effects of the project on the water supply. (yns)