Building Permit Issued Before Environmental Impact Assessment, Jakarta DPRD Urges Probe into Kalideres Crematorium Permit

Jakarta — A member of Commission A of the Jakarta DPRD, William A Sarana of the PSI faction, has urged a full investigation into the process of issuing the building permit for the Swarga Abadi Funeral Home and Crematorium in Kalideres, West Jakarta. The call followed allegations of maladministration in the issuance of the Building Use Permit (PBG), claimed to have been issued before the Environmental Impact Assessment (Amdal) document was completed. According to William, issuing the PBG prior to the Amdal permit constitutes a serious irregularity in the project’s licensing process. He argued that the foundation’s commitment to complete the Amdal has become a loophole allowing the PBG to be issued even though environmental requirements have not been fully met. To date, the Swarga Abadi Foundation is said not to have completed the environmental permit process as stated in the commitment letter. “With only that basis, the PBG can be issued. And in my view, that is a serious irregularity because crematoriums are among the activities that require an Amdal permit. So this licence issuance is what needs to be investigated,” he said.

In addition to scrutinising the licensing process, William questioned the project’s location, which sits in the middle of a densely populated residential area. He said the permit for the project could potentially contravene Article 7(a) of Regional Regulation No. 3 of 2007 on Burial. “If you read Article 7 under the Burial Regulation, it is clear that the Governor should not build a crematorium in the middle of densely populated areas. So I think there is a conflict here,” he explained. “It borders dense residential areas, and two schools are adjacent as well; it should not be permitted,” he added. William also questioned the granting of licences for two crematorium facilities in Kalideres within a short period. “There are two crematoriums being built simultaneously in Kalideres: one in Tegal Alur and the other in Kalideres, which I find highly odd regarding the licences,” he said. He noted that the construction of a funeral home and crematorium in Tegal Alur had been discussed in a council meeting last year.