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)