Government to curb Puncak development

Government to curb Puncak development

JAKARTA (JP): The office of the state minister for agrarian
affairs will control and supervise all building construction in
the tourist resort of Puncak, West Java, following an edict by
President Soeharto.

State Minister Soni Harsono told reporters after meeting with
President Soeharto at Bina Graha Office yesterday said that
supervision and control is expected to curb the changes in land
use in this hilly area, which lead to floods lower down in
Jakarta.

Soni said 1,350 hectares of agricultural land in Ciawi and
Cisarua, in Puncak have been sold by farmers between 1983 and
1990 for non-agricultural purposes, mainly for villas.

The trend of selling agricultural land in Puncak and Bogor has
been increasing, he said.

Bogor, Puncak and Cianjur play important roles in protecting
Jakarta from floods. The floods in Jakarta in the recent years
were the results of the disappearance of forests and other water
catchment areas, due largely to construction.

Many building owners have failed to abide by regulations, he
said, explaining that protected forests have been cleared to make
way for residential areas. "This has caused very serious problems
for the environment, specifically for the hydrological balance,"
he said.

"The building permits may be reviewed. New houses should not
have been built on this land. If necessary, buildings will be
demolished," Soni said.

Soon after the Presidential Decree No. 79 was issued in 1985
several villas and bungalows built on the wrong land were
demolished, and no new buildings were built for a while.

However, both the people and the local authorities "forgot"
about the decree years later, and several new buildings were
built. Protected forests were cut down to make way for new
villas.

Soni admitted that the earlier decree had not been effective.
(sur)