Batik factory owners plead for one-month reprieve
JAKARTA (JP): A number of batik factory owners yesterday pleaded with city authorities to let them operate for another month, as the forced closures of the factories in Setiabudi district, South Jakarta, continued.
The requests came on the heels of the exemptions of three firms from a 1993 Gubernatorial Decree, citing pollution problems, requiring the closure of all batik factories in the district by April 1.
PT Windueka, PT ADRM and PT Batik Afri, the three biggest factories in the area, have been given leave to operate for another year.
In response to the request, Achmad Sari, head of the government team supervising the closures, said he has no authority to allow the factories to remain open.
"If you want to extend it, you can make a proposal to the South Jakarta mayor," he told Suryani Sentosa, owner of a batik factory on Jl. Karet Pedurenan.
As of yesterday afternoon, a team of officers from the South Jakarta Law and Order Bureau, the police and the army had sealed 26 factories.
The government believes that the waste from the factories is partly responsible for the pollution of the Krukut River, and that the installation of waste treatment facilities at the location is not possible.
Bogus officials
The team's visit to Purnama Tanuwijaya's factory yesterday caused confusion with the owner. "I thought the team was the same one which came here the other day," Purnama said.
He told The Jakarta Post that several people claiming to be city officials came to him and offered to sell him an operations extension for his factory.
"I'm afraid another team will come here again and ask for money," he said.
A member of the team, who asked to remain anonymous, said "It's their own fault if they gave money to bogus officials who came and asked for money. It only confirms that they like bribing officials."
The team found several factories were still operating yesterday, despite strong warnings from the city administration.
Karlan, a member of the team, said as long as the activities do not produce dangerous waste, they are still tolerable. "Cutting and sewing clothes is all right."
He said the relocation of the batik factories is in line with the 1985-2005 city spatial plan which has allocated the area for residences and offices.
The factories are to be relocated to Jababeka Cikarang and Lippo City in Bekasi, Karawang, Balaraja in Tangerang and Parung Panjang in Bogor, but new facilities for the vast majority of the factories are not yet ready. (11)