Illegal Puncak villas cost Rp 5m each to demolish

Illegal Puncak villas cost Rp 5m each to demolish

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Regency officials claim it is costing
the Bogor authorities Rp 5 million (US$1,800) to demolish each of
the buildings constructed illegally in the Puncak area.

Spokesman for the Bogor Regency, Denny M. Moechry, said the
money, earmarked as unexpected expenses in the local budget, is
spent on renting the heavy equipment used to tear down the
buildings, and food and transportation for the workers.

"The buildings standing on the state land, and those standing
on preserved areas or water catchments are the target of the
demolition team," Denny told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

The demolition of the villas and other buildings in Puncak has
been under the spotlight since President Soeharto established
the Bogor-Puncak-Cianjur spatial management team to return the
areas to its function as a water catchment, as was originally
defined in a 1985 presidential decree.

The team, led by the head of the National Spatial Planning
Coordinating Board, Ginandjar Kartasasmita, was founded in March
following the floods which hit the city in January and February
and claimed 30 lives.

Warnings

Denny said the authorities always give villa owners three
warnings ordering them to demolish their own buildings before
they moving in.

The main constraint for the demolition team is that most of
the owners live in Jakarta.

"The housekeepers usually refuse to convey the warnings or
demolition order to the owners. Moreover many of the owners use
other people's names when applying for building permits," Denny
said.

He said 150 buildings located on unauthorized locations are
listed for demolition, however, only 26 of them have been pulled
down.

Denny said none of the villa owners have filed lawsuits
against the Bogor administration over the demolition of their
illegally-constructed buildings.

"They might be afraid of the response of the Bogor
administration. If they are found to be on state property they
would face serious charges," he said.

Asked whether influential people have hampered the demolition
plan, he said "We record the buildings standing on unauthorized
areas. We never identify the owners."

He said he had no idea when asked to confirm whether some
generals, who own villas in Puncak, had demolished their villas
by themselves. "As far as I know no one has demolished villas
themselves." (21/sur)