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)