Identify negligent developers: City Council

Identify negligent developers: City Council

JAKARTA (JP): The City Council is urging the City Development Supervision Office to announce the names of the developers found guilty of building projects without licenses.

The office said on Thursday that seven large-scale developers had been reprimanded for constructing luxury apartments, shopping centers, office buildings and other projects without licenses.

"The development supervision office should be consistent because the public wants to know more about the negligent developers," said Sahala A.R. Sinaga, a member of the Council's Commission C, which is in charge of financial affairs.

"If not, the public will be suspicious and assume that there is something wrong between the city administration and the developers," he said.

"If the office does not mention the developers' names, it is not fair. People might think that they were just mentioning a number, any number, without having done anything," Sahala added.

Suharto, the head of the City Development Supervision Office, announced that each of the seven companies was fined between 6 to 12 times the normal fee price for the processing of a building permit.

He added that four of the seven developers have already paid the fines and the rest are still in the process of paying. But he refused to mention the developers names.

"Do not be afraid, just announce the names of the reckless developers," said H. Saud Rahman, another member of the City Council from Commission D, which is in charge of development affairs.

Soni Harsono, the State Minister for Agrarian Affairs/ Chief of National Land Affairs Board, also expressed his concern with the many buildings being set up without permits. Despite the absence of permits, some developers have already sold their apartments to the public.

According to Suharto, his office does not have the right to take action against the developers. It is, he said, the duty of other agencies like the City Manpower Office. (31)