Jakarta Parks Agency to Follow Up on Cemetery Land Proposal for Pulau Kelapa

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Jakarta Provincial Parks and Urban Forestry Office (Distamhut) has confirmed it will follow up a proposal from the Jakarta Regional Parliament (DPRD DKI) regarding the provision of a public cemetery (TPU) on Kelapa Island in the Thousand Islands regency.

Head of the Jakarta Parks and Urban Forestry Office, Fajar Sauri, said the initial step would be to trace the legality and condition of the land so that the construction of the cemetery can be realised in accordance with regulations.

“If the alternative solution requires reclamation, the cemetery will be managed directly by the provincial government,” Fajar said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

According to him, this solution would be pursued if the available land on Kelapa Island is deemed insufficient to meet residents’ burial needs.

He revealed that the Jakarta provincial government already possesses several cemetery land assets in the Thousand Islands, spread across Untung Jawa Island, Kelapa Island, Lancang Island, Karya Island and Tidung Island.

However, all of these assets were acquired as far back as 1983, so they must be re-examined to confirm their legal status and land condition.

“They were acquired in 1983. So we have to check again, the assets must be traced again,” Fajar explained.

Earlier, the Chairwoman of Commission D of the Jakarta Regional Parliament, Yuke Yurike, highlighted the absence of a public cemetery managed by the Jakarta provincial government on Kelapa Island in the Thousand Islands regency.

To date, residents of Kelapa Island have relied on cemetery land designated as endowment (wakaf) or privately owned.

Most of that land, Yuke continued, does not even have certificates, which has become an obstacle to developing government-managed cemetery facilities.

According to her, the lack of a cemetery owned by the Jakarta provincial government means residents’ burial needs cannot be handled optimally. On the other hand, building a cemetery requires certainty over the land’s legal status so that it can be processed in accordance with regulations.

“If it is proposed to the provincial government for a cemetery, the certificate must be clear,” she said.