City told to get tougher on negligent developers

City told to get tougher on negligent developers

JAKARTA (JP): A city councilor has urged the city
administration to take stern measures against 11 delinquent
developers for failing to fulfill their obligations to build or
renovate several school buildings.

Head of Commission E for social welfare affairs, Soeparmo,
said Tuesday the developers had postponed the projects for years.
The obligations include the construction or renovation of one
kindergarten, 21 elementary schools, five junior high school
buildings and three senior high school buildings.

"Don't let them use the current monetary crisis as an excuse
to neglect their responsibility. There are students forced to
study in buildings which are in very poor condition."

Developers have often been required by the government to build
or renovate school buildings in return for licenses to take on
lucrative contracts to build high-rises or malls.

Soeparmo said the city did not have enough school buildings,
especially at the elementary school level.

"Ideally, there should be another 958 school buildings to
properly accommodate the city's elementary school students."

More than 900,000 children are currently registered in 2,558
state elementary schools which utilize 1,600 buildings.

"At least 40 percent of them attend school in the afternoon,"
he said, adding that one school building could be used by up to
four schools by scheduling different teaching hours.

He argued, however, that afternoon school sessions were not
ideal because most children did not have as much energy and
ability to concentrate in the afternoon compared to the morning.

The 11 negligent developers include PT Plaza Indonesia which
has an unpaid obligation to rebuild SMUN 10, SDN Mangga Dua
Selatan 05 and SDN Kelapa Dua Wetan; PT Angkasa Interland
obligated to build two elementary schools in Menteng Dalam
subdistrict in Central Jakarta; PT Mustika Ratu Aji which must
rebuild SDN Duren Tiga 01/03 in Central Jakarta; PT Pulomas
Gemala Misouri, which is to build one elementary school and a
kindergarten and rebuild SDN Pondok Kopi 01/07 in East Jakarta;
PT Lingkar Jaya obligated to rebuild SDN Pasar Baru 07/10 in
Central Jakarta; and PT Kharaba Unggul, which is to rebuild SMPN
100 in Central Jakarta.

The other developers are PT Bentala Mahayana, which must build
elementary schools in Menteng Dalam subdistrict, Central Jakarta,
Kelapa Dua Wetan subdistrict in West Jakarta and Lenteng Agung
and Petukangan Utara subdistricts in South Jakarta; PT Bumi
Perkasa Permai, obligated to build one elementary school in
Semanan, West Jakarta; PT Catur Swasakti Utama, which agreed to
build seven elementary schools and one junior high school and
rebuild two junior high schools; PT Sumarecon Agung, contracted
to build one elementary school, a junior high school and a senior
high school in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta; and PT Duta Pertiwi,
which agreed to rebuild SMAN 10, SDN Mangga Dua Selatan 05 and
SDN Kelapa Dua Wetan.

The council acknowledged the fact that renovating or building
new schools would be burdensome for the developers, especially
during the crisis, Soeparmo said.

Therefore, the 11 developers should at least renovate schools
that are in the most need of repair, he said.

He estimated a developer might have to spend at least Rp 800
million to build a two-story elementary school building and Rp
1.4 billion for junior and senior high schools.

"But they can't keep delaying their obligation by arguing that
it is not the right time. They have been ignoring these projects
for years, even when there was no crisis at all." (cst)