Department store rejected

SURABAYA: East Java provincial legislative councilors have rejected a proposal to convert a hockey field on Jl. Darmawangsa into a department store, Antara reported yesterday.

The news agency quoted councilor Eddie Budi Prabowo as saying that department stores had no "social function" and that building one in the area would create traffic congestion.

He suggested instead that the field be used for the expansion of nearby Dr. Sutomo General Hospital.

The director of the hospital, Dr. Dikman Anshor, confirmed that the management had plans to develop the facility into a training hospital to serve eastern Indonesia regions in particular.

The planned seven-story hospital would thus need more facilities, including a helipad for emergencies, he said. (swe)