Corruption clouds construction permit applications

Corruption clouds construction permit applications

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Anyone who wants to erect a building must obtain a
construction permit (IMB), but applying for the permit can be a
big headache.

"I had to pay an officer several hundred thousand rupiah when
I applied for a construction permit (IMB) to build a house at
Kembangan subdistrict," Yetty, a resident at Meruya, West
Jakarta, said.

She said an officer asked her for an "administration" fee to
process the permit faster than it should normally be done.

"He was partly forcing me and threatening that he would not
process the license unless I paid up," Yetty said.

Raditya, a staff member of a housing development company, told
The Jakarta Post it was easy to apply for an IMB at the West
Jakarta municipality.

"I just need to slip some extra money inside the document
folder," he said, "and later I receive all the documents without
any delay."

It is well-known among people in Jakarta that some officers
ask for an "administration" fee for processing legal documents,
like construction permits. It has become another "business" in
the city.

According to head of the information section, Building
Inspection and Planning (P2B) department, of the West Jakarta
municipality Hery Kelana Jauhari, there should be no
administration fee charged at all when applying for an IMB.

"There should be no administration fee. It is an officer's job
to do the work. People should only pay an official fee, which is
based on the land area someone owns," Hery said last week.

But he admitted that there were unscrupulous officers who
usually asked for money. "People should refuse to pay bribes to
officers, otherwise there will always be bribery here," said
Hery.

Hery also complained about the problem of the need to make
advance payments because disbursements from the city
administration were usually delayed.

"The financial budget period is from January to December. But
sometimes we do not receive the money from the city government
until February."

"At those times unscrupulous officers are very vulnerable to
offers of bribery. Unscrupulous applicants might also use it as
an opportunity to apply for a permit for land on which an IMB
cannot be issued," said Hery, "Later, around the middle of the
year, we usually receive complaints."

"To apply for an IMB, applicants need only fill out the IMB
form, taking with them the land documents and their ID card, as
well as the building drawing and location plan," he said.

"For houses, people can apply for an IMB at their district
office. This helps people applying for their IMB. But for other
types of building or real estate, people should apply at the
municipality."

"People can get a temporary permit (IP) within one day to
three days. Then for the IMB itself, it may take 25 days for
housing, and about 60 days for other building types," he said.

He added that it took longer to issue non-housing IMB
certificates because a technical assessment had to be made first.

Hery also said that the IMB certificate-issue process "count-
down" should start after the official fee has been paid.

"Many people complain, saying that the IMB application process
takes too long. They usually count from the day they have their
early consultations with officials, while the necessary
documentation might still be incomplete."

He also said that every officer in his office should welcome
anyone who came for information. "Our counter is here to serve
people seeking information."