Bylaw blocks development of Jakarta Wholesale Center

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration is considering amending the existing city bylaw on private markets, as the bylaw does not support its plan to build the Jakarta Wholesale Center at a site that was formerly part of the Melati dam in Central Jakarta.

Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo said that several articles in Bylaw No. 2/2002 were not applicable to what was happening in the field.

"If we read the bylaw, there are several articles that contradict each other. We need to interpret the bylaw according to the field situation," Fauzi said on Tuesday.

He referred to an article that stipulates a private market occupying 4,000 square meters of land must be built at least 500 meters to 2.5 kilometers away from the nearest traditional or community market.

"But, I think, if the private market sells products that are different from those sold at the other market, then, there should be no problem," said Fauzi.

The Jakarta Wholesale Center will occupy 14.07 hectares of land, and is located 400 meters away from Kebon Melati market, 800 meters from Kebon Jati market and one kilometer from Gandaria market.

Tanah Abang market is known as the biggest textile market in Southeast Asia. The planned wholesale center would also offer textile products.

However, chairman of City Council Commission D for development affairs, Koeswadi Soesilohardjo, said Fauzi's argument was baseless.

"We (the City Council) would have no objection if the administration revised the bylaw. But, in the meantime, the administration must not deliberately violate the bylaw.

"They (administration officials) cannot make policies at will," he asserted.

The city administration has repeatedly revised regulations, or the city's master plan, to justify development projects.

Critics highlight the administration's decision to scrap green areas to make way for the development of commercial and housing areas.

For example, the water catchment area of Tanjung Duren Selatan in West Jakarta is now the location of Taman Anggrek shopping mall. Housing complexes Kelapa Gading and Pantai Indah Kapuk, both in North Jakarta, were also supposed to be green areas.

The administration is reportedly planning to allow commercial premises to be built in residential areas, like Kebayoran Baru in South Jakarta.

Separately, Governor Sutiyoso has agreed to officiate the ground-breaking ceremony for the Jakarta Wholesale Center, once the developer is ready.

"I ask that people who do not understand the issue don't blow it up. We have carefully examined the project, and so far we believe that no regulation has been violated," he said.

Sutiyoso's claim is at odds with an earlier statement issued by the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency, which has just received a request for an environmental impact analysis (Amdal) of the project from the developer. The agency said that it would need at least four months to finish the analysis.