City vows to go ahead with Blok P cemetery relocation

City vows to go ahead with Blok P cemetery relocation

JAKARTA (JP): Despite objections from city councilors, the
municipality will continue the relocation of Blok P cemetery in
South Jakarta to make way for the mayoralty's new office.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said yesterday that the plan would
go ahead because, in the long-term, the new office would improve
administrative services for the public.

"The plan isn't to show that the municipality is more powerful
than the public. Not at all.

"I just want the people to know that we will go on with the
plan because we really need a new office for the South Jakarta
mayoralty," he said at City Hall.

The municipality has approached relatives of those buried at
the cemetery and explained the reasons for the construction of a
new office, he said.

"We have taken necessary steps to prevent any possible
unrest."

The plan does not deal merely with the removal of the
cemetery, he said.

"We have to think of the public's interest, mainly their
demand for better services. So, once again, the plan is done for
the sake of Jakarta's future development."

Surjadi also urged the press yesterday not to overdramatize
the project.

"We do not abuse power. We just aim to improve services."

Currently, the city is removing the remains of 4,626 bodies
buried in the cemetery. The work is being done between 8 a.m. and
3 p.m. and is expected to be completed by Sept. 21.

Council

Councilor Saud Rachman of the United Development Party urged
the municipality on Tuesday to consult the council on the plan
because it changes the designated use of land from a green area
to an office site. This move would be against the current 1985-
2005 city plan, he said.

But, the head of the City Planning Agency, Ahmaddin Ahmad,
said that changing a land's designated use needed no approval
from councilors.

"We only need the governor's approval for the change, not
councilors', because the land is a city asset and it will be used
by the municipality," he said Tuesday.

The cemetery contains the remains of 3,724 Moslems and 902
Christians. The Moslems will be moved to Srengseng Sawah public
cemetery and the Christians to Kampung Kandang public cemetery.
Both are in South Jakarta.

Relatives of the dead people will not be charged unless they
want to relocate the bodies to a cemetery other than the ones
specified.

One of the problems is that among the people buried in the
cemetery, there are the remains of high-ranking officers'
relatives. One of them is Ade Irma Nasution, the youngest
daughter of Gen. (ret.) Abdul Haris Nasution.

When the removal is completed, the construction of the Rp 54.8
billion ($20.67 million) office will start. It is expected to be
finished by 2001.

The project consists of a 16-story building for the
mayoralty's main office and two four-story buildings for public
services.

The city, however, has not revealed its plan for the current
site of the South Jakarta mayoralty office on Jl. Trunojoyo,
which is adjacent to the ASEAN Secretariat and National Police
Headquarters. (ste)