City chalks up 3.87% growth in 2002

JAKARTA: The capital city enjoyed a 3.87 percent economic growth rate, slightly higher than the national figure of 3.66 percent last year.

This year, however, the figure is expected to decline, especially since the fire at Tanah Abang textile market, Central Jakarta, on Feb. 19

The information was revealed by the Jakarta branch of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) on Wednesday, as quoted by city-owned news portal beritajakarta.com.

BPS Jakarta said the economic growth was mainly attributable to the transportation and communications, trading, hotel and restaurant, electricity, gas and water supply sectors.

The Bali bombing last October did not have a significant impact on growth as it was still in the expected range of 3.5 percent to 4.0 percent.

Meanwhile, BPS Jakarta recorded that some 1.15 million foreign tourists visited Jakarta last year, an increase of 3.98 percent on last year's 1.11 million. -- JP

;JP;BNT; ANPAj..r.. Focus-Tangerang-Jamsostek Only 890 firms join Jamsostek JP/8/GREATER

Only 890 firms join Jamsostek

TANGERANG: Only about 28 percent of a total of 3,214 companies in Tangerang have registered their workers with Jamsostek (state workers insurance).

Jamsostek Tangerang branch chief Achmad Ansyori said that there were 3,214 industrial firms in Tangerang, but as of this month only 890 firms had joined the Jamsostek program amounting to a total of 42,969 workers.

But he said that of the 890 firms, some 320 had not paid their monthly premiums during the last few months. Some of them had not made any payments for the past for five months.

"The management of those companies lack awareness of their obligation. Workers are entitled to such insurance and their companies should not disrupt it by not paying their premium contributions," he said.

According to Law No. 14/1992 on Jamsostek and Government Regulation No. 14/1993 that outlines the program implementation, a company that employs more than 10 workers and pays Rp 1 million or more in total monthly salaries for its workers is obliged to join the Jamsostek program.

Violators face a six-month prison sentence or Rp 50 million in fines and those who are late in paying the monthly premium will be fined as much as 2 percent of the total monthly contribution.--JP

;JP;BNT; ANPAj..r.. Focus-Tangerang-mayor Probe against Tangerang mayor sought JP/8/

Probe against Tangerang mayor sought

TANGERANG: Some 150 residents of Bencongan subdistrict, in Curug district of Tangerang regency staged a rally at the Tangerang Prosecutors Office on Wednesday, demanding that the investigation into Mayor Mochamad Thamrin be started soon.

The residents, grouped in the Combined Peoples Action for Constitution, Corruption Collusion and Nepotism (Garuk) believed that the mayor had misappropriated land submitted by developer Gading Serpong Housing for public facilities to the regency administration when he was still the regency administration secretary.

Garuk also urged the prosecutors office to investigate an alleged mark up of the land prices from Rp 50,000 to Rp 100,000 per square meter.

The land submitted by Gading Serpong Housing was allocated for a public cemetery, but until now there is no such facility in the complex," Haryadi Nugraha who led the residents said. According to Nugraha, the housing developer Mulyadi claimed that he had submitted some money to the regency administration as compensation for the developer's obligation to provide land for public facilities.

Prosecutors office chief Himawan Kaskawa met with the protesting residents and asked them to prepare a written statement of their complaints.--JP