Djumhana passes buck to planning, museum offices
Djumhana passes buck to planning, museum offices
JAKARTA (JP): Clarifying the agency's tasks and
responsibilities, deputy head of the City Development Control
Agency Djumhana said on Monday that it was not responsible for
illegal building work at demolished protected buildings in the
city.
Djumhana, instead, blamed the City Planning Agency and the
City Museum and Restoration Agency for all the violations of the
1992 law on heritage sites.
"The development control agency is the institution which deals
with practical matters, such as putting the recommendations by
the planning agency into effect.
"Should there be problems with building developments here,
it's not through the development control agency's mistakes," he
told The Jakarta Post at his office in Central Jakarta.
"The policy makers in the development of protected buildings
in the city are the planning agency and the city museum and
restoration agency," he said.
"So, if people are looking for the answers as to why all the
damage at protected buildings and why all the new construction
projects at former heritage sites, they should ask those two
agencies," he added.
Djumhana said the current way of controlling the development
of new buildings was to follow the directions given by the
planning agency.
"If it is about protected buildings, the planning agency and
the museum and restoration agency should coordinate with each
other," he said.
As damage to several protected buildings in the city
continues, architects and building owners have named the
development control agency as the party that has contributed to
the city's planning disorganization.
Djumhana added that the development control agency's main task
was to control the progress of development in the city so that it
stays in accordance with city planning.
Bribe
In reality, however, there have been many cases of buildings
constructed out of line with the city's planning, like in the
preserved area of Menteng, Central Jakarta, where new buildings
-- of an architectural style inharmonious with the old buildings
there -- have been constructed.
Some city residents, including architects and building owners,
have alleged that permits to develop new buildings can easily be
obtained after paying a bribe, usually about Rp 10 million
(US$1,425), to certain officials at the development control
agency.
Similar illegal practices have also been observed in the
application process for building construction permits (IMB),
where fees can amount to Rp 60 million.
The development control's agency's official guidelines for
building construction levies state the rate for residential
dwellings to be between Rp 400 and Rp 2,500 per square meter,
which varies according to the building's width.
Djumhana dismissed the allegations that his subordinates had
illegally taken bribes for permits.
"Those who pay levies do so because they do not process the
ability (to obtain the required permits) themselves so they go
through other parties, like consultants or architects.
"It is possible that these third parties take financial
advantage when processing permits," he said. (ind)