Hotel abuses permit on height

TANGERANG, West Java (JP): Officials from the regency's public order office demolished the fourth and fifth floors of a hotel yesterday because its owner abused the permit issued by the local administration on the height of the building.

The hotel is located on Jl. Husen Sastranegara in the Benda subdistrict.

"In the building permit granted to the hotel's owner, it was explicitly stated that the hotel should consist of three stories at the most, with a maximum height of 13 meters. But when construction was completed, it turned out that the hotel had five floors and its height was 18 meters," Suparman, who heads the office, said.

According to Suparman, the decision on the limitation of the height of the hotel, which is located near Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, was made out of fear that the building might disrupt flights from and to the airport.

"In other words, it is for the safety of the flights," said Suparman.

At least 70 officials from the regency administration, under the watchful eyes of police officers, were involved in the demolition of the hotel, allegedly owned by a politically well- connected high-ranking official of the South Jakarta mayoralty. (28/bas)