City vows to close more offices in residential areas

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has vowed to continue to close down offices located in residential areas, Deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs Idroes said yesterday

"We will close down such offices because it is obvious that they are violating the regulation," he said.

Idroes also said his office would hold a meeting with related agencies and mayoralty offices to draw up an integrated plan for implementing the policy.

"The meeting is important to get clear data on the matter, such as the number of houses which are being used for offices," Idroes told reporters.

He said it was time for the administration to take firm action against the violators.

When asked about the reason why it took such a long time for the city administration to implement the policy, Idroes merely said "Better late than never."

"We have no idea why and when people started to violate the regulation, but our main intention is to make sure the regulation is properly implemented," he said.

The issue made headlines after the East Jakarta mayoralty closed down a two-story house in Condet, East Jakarta which was used by Megawati Soekarnoputri as a headquarters for her Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) executive board.

Megawati set up her new secretariat in Condet early this month after losing the old PDI office on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta in a violent clash with supporters of Suryadi, chairman of the government-sanctioned PDI board.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja supported the action taken by the East Jakarta mayor, saying there was no political motive and it was conducted merely because the headquarters was located in a residential area.

Meanwhile, an official of the city public order office said most buildings in residential areas of the city were being used for offices.

"Hundreds of houses in Menteng, Central Jakarta and Kebayoran Baru in South Jakarta are being used as offices," Toha Reno said.

People can easily spot a bank on Jl. Gereja Theresia and a law office on Jl. Yusuf Adiwinata, both of which are a breach of a city planning regulation issued by the city planning office which designated the plots for residential buildings.

Toha said other offices located in residential areas could easily be found on Jl. Hang Lekir, Jl. Pakubuwono and in the Kemang area in South Jakarta, as well as on Jl. H.O.S. Cokroaminoto, Jl. Gondangdia, Jl. Tanah Abang II and Jl. Cikini Raya in Central Jakarta.

In East Jakarta, the offices could be found on Jl. Rawamangun and Jl. Balai Pustaka, he said. (yns)