City officials defend Pluit mall project

City officials defend Pluit mall project

JAKARTA (JP): City officials defended yesterday the construction of Mega Mall in Pluit, North Jakarta, saying the developer has followed all procedures and that the project is in line with city planning.

The head of the city planning office, Ahmadin Achmad, said that the project has fulfilled all of the requirements such as the block plan and the environmental impact analysis and has acquired all of the permits.

"Basically, there is nothing wrong with the project. Everything has been done according to regulation," Ahmadin said.

The development of Mega Mall in Pluit has been the source of much speculation, with many locals claiming delinquency on the part of developers. A number of residents say the project will eliminate the green areas surrounding the project and destroy the local waterway.

The head of the Pluit area authority, Darrundono, guaranteed that the green belt areas would not be destroyed.

In fact, he said, "The green belt areas in Pluit will be larger than before, because I required the developer to do so. There will be more trees planted in the area."

Last week, the Indonesian Environmental Protection Board said that the area, which is near an alligator pond and Sunter Lake, must be preserved.

Ahmadin said that the project is not disturbing Sunter Lake because the location of the mall is far enough removed from the lake area.

He said that studies have been conducted and that the developer has consultants who give advice on everything, including environmental effects.

The 142,000-square-meter mall is being built on 22 hectares of land at a total investment of Rp 150 billion (US$66.66 million). (yns)