City asked to control building permits

JAKARTA: The chairman of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Builders Association, Effendi Siregar, asked the city administration to exert greater control over the issuance of building permits following the recent collapse of a partly constructed furniture showroom in Sunter Agung, North Jakarta.

"The administration should issue building permits to qualified contractors only," he said on Thursday as quoted by Antara.

He also urged construction companies to pay more attention to the safety of workers rather than focusing simply on business interests.

Police have arrested two of three suspects in the furniture showroom collapse, which claimed six lives. The other suspect is in Singapore. The three have been charged with violating Article 359 of the Criminal Code on death caused by negligence. -- JP