City Hall asked to demolish illegal buildings in Senayan

City Hall asked to demolish illegal buildings in Senayan

JAKARTA (JP): City councillors urged the city administration
on Monday to demolish any buildings which were not used for
sporting activities in the Bung Karno sports complex in Senayan,
Central Jakarta, including a mall being constructed near Plaza
Senayan.

Councillor M. Agus Darmawan of the council's Commission B for
economic affairs asked Governor Sutiyoso to be fair in upholding
the law, including demolishing the illegal buildings.

"If the mall development is found to be violating the law,
then it should be stopped," Agus, of the National Mandate Party,
asserted.

He said if the city administration failed to demolish the
illegal buildings, it would add to Sutiyoso's list of failures in
managing the city.

Besides the mall, Agus warned that the city administration
should also demolish two exhibition buildings which were located
in the same area.

"It seems that Sutiyoso prefers to demolish certain buildings
and protect other buildings," he remarked.

Another councillor, Ali Imran Hussein of the council's
Commission D for development affairs, supported Agus's demand
that Sutiyoso should enforce the regulations.

"If the mall construction violates the regulations, it should
be demolished," Ali, of the United Development Party, told
reporters.

He said that Commission D councillors would soon visit the
mall to check whether its development violated the regulations.

Separately, a senior city official revealed on Monday that the
planned seven-story mall located near Plaza Senayan had actually
been given a building permit for the development of Wisma
Basketball to house basketball activities.

"Now, the developer has changed it into a mall. That's a mall,
not a basketball building," the official, who asked not to be
named, told reporters.

He said the mall's developer, which was owned by a son of
former Minister of Justice and State Minister/State Secretary
Muladi, used the name of a basketball organization to gain the
permit, since Sutiyoso is also the chairman of the Indonesian
Basketball Association.

He hoped that the city administration would not make another
mistake by giving permits for buildings in the Senayan area,
which is reserved for sporting activities.

The official regretted the "protection" given by certain
councillors to the owners of building in the Senayan area which
violated their permits.

"The building owners just sold their space in the buildings to
other businessmen. They are just brokers, often misusing small
businessmen's interests for their own businesses," he said.

The administration is currently trying to demolish an
exhibition building which was owned by private firm PT Anggara
Ind and is located in the stadium's eastern parking lot.

The council opposed the demolition, saying that the
administration only dared to demolish the exhibition building for
small firms, but not the other building which was owned by PT
City Neon, a large company.

Sutiyoso reiterated on Monday that the administration would
demolish all buildings in the Senayan area which were not devoted
to sporting activities.

"I have ordered my subordinates to continue the demolitions,"
he told reporters. (jun)