Govt asked to simplify procedure for land permits

Govt asked to simplify procedure for land permits

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) has
demanded that the city administration simplify the arduous
procedures for obtaining land appropriation permits.

YLKI secretary Agus Pambagio told The Jakarta Post on
Wednesday that simplification is badly needed to facilitate the
smooth implementation of property development projects.

"We expect the city administration to speed up the process of
issuing land licenses," Agus said, suggesting that the city
administration provide integrated services to issue land
licenses.

At present, people have to go through more than 30 counters in
various municipality offices to secure a land license.

The city administration, according to Agus, actually needs
only three counters to process land permits: one for filing the
requirements of a land license proposal, another for paying the
fees and a third for issuing the licenses.

He also urged the municipality to set clear-cut requirements
for the public and to set clear time schedules for the paperwork
processing.

Many businesses have been criticizing the procedures as
bureaucratic and time-consuming.

They complain that they routinely have to spend large amounts
of money, mostly in unofficial fees.

They also accuse the officials in charge of issuing the
licenses of being corrupt and greedy.

Agus argued that simpler procedures could ease supervision and
minimize bribe-taking.

The governor should oversee the process of issuing land
licenses, he suggested.

"But the municipality needs to enforce the regulation properly
to improve services to the people."

It is better to charge higher administrative fees for good and
fast service than cheap fees for slow procedures prone to
malfeasance, he said.

Agus added that in the end it is the consumers, and not
businesses, who have to bear the brunt of the high costs of land
appropriation. (29)