City Planning Agency chief to be queried over permits

JAKARTA (JP): The City Council's Commission D on public works, environment and development affairs will soon summon the head of the City Planning Agency, Ahmadin Ahmad, for issuing two different permits to construct a three-story shopping complex on a pedestrian overpass that connects the ITC Shopping Center and Mangga Dua Mall in Mangga Dua, West Jakarta.

Councillor Mukhayar of the Justice Party (PK) faction said on Thursday that two property developers -- PT Kempas Indah Indonesia and PT Duta Pertiwi -- proposed to build the overpass, and that the latter eventually got the permit to develop it, although PT Kempas was the first company which submitted the proposal earlier in 1996.

"We (councillors) suspect that the city administration issued the permit to PT Duta Pertiwi because it contributed a larger amount of money to the administration," he said at the City Council building.

"PT Duta Pertiwi submitted Rp 800 million as commission, while PT Kempas gave only Rp 380 million," he added.

PT Kempas secured an approval, dated July 22, 1996, to develop the overpass from Deputy Governor for Economic and Development Affairs Tb. M. Rais, while PT Duta Pertiwi received permission from Governor Sutiyoso, dated April 30, 1999.

PT Kempas sued Governor Sutiyoso at the State Administrative Court last year, but lost. The case is now being heard at the Jakarta State Administrative High Court.

Mukhayar said that PT Duta Pertiwi also violated the governor's approval as it had also developed the overpass into a shopping area.

"Look, it is clearly stated in the Gubernatorial Decree No. 1129/1999 that the permit was only to develop a pedestrian overpass, but not a shopping complex," he said, while showing a copy of the document to The Jakarta Post.

In a hearing with Commission D on April 9, PT Duta Pertiwi president director Stevanus Hartono denied the accusation, saying that the money which was given to the city administration was simply a kind of "contribution" and that the proposal had since the beginning mentioned that it would build an overpass which would have shops on it.

Stevanus also said that PT Duta Pertiwi had the right to develop the bridge since it was the owner of the two buildings.

On May 1, 1997, Ahmadin Ahmad rejected Duta Pertiwi's proposal in a meeting with the City Land Management Agency on grounds that the city administration had already issued the permit to PT Kempas.

"Then why did PT. Duta Pertiwi suddenly develop the overpass? That's the reason we will summon Ahmadin Ahmad.

"I think it's not Duta Pertiwi nor Kempas' mistake, it's the city administration's mistake," Mukhayar said. (09)