Councilors disappointed over company's disparaging attitude

JAKARTA (JP): City councilors expressed disappointment over the representation of PT Jaya Property's management by a low ranking employee at a hearing on alleged negligence by the firm yesterday.

The hearing was held at the City Council building at the request of a member of the commission on housing affairs, who believed the firm had failed to fulfill its obligations as developer of the Bintaro Jaya real estate complex.

The firm, which is jointly owned by a private agency and the city administration, reportedly has failed to transfer the authority over all of the public and social facilities it has built on the 50-hectare real estate to the city administration.

Aware that the management sent only a low ranking employee to represent them at yesterday's hearing, the councilors immediately canceled the meeting and sent the employee away.

"We regret that the management only sent someone who did not really represent the firm to the scheduled hearing," Saud Rachman of the United Development Party faction was quoted by Antara as saying yesterday.

Saud said the firm has only transferred authority over an elementary school and 146 street lamps to the administration, although it had constructed many other facilities.

"The other facilities it has yet to hand in include some parks, neighborhood roads, bridges, tennis courts and swimming pools. We hear they have commercialized the tennis courts and swimming pools which they in fact should have handed over to the city administration," Saud complained.

Saud also said the firm had committed irregularities in building the roads in the housing complex. He did not specify the violations.

"The firm also violated its license by building the house of worship outside the housing complex. According to the location permit, the house of worship was to have been built inside the complex," Saud said. (jsk)