Karet Bivak cemetery facelift

JAKARTA (JP): The refurbishment of the Karet Bivak public cemetery in Central Jakarta, scheduled to start next year, is designed to create an open park, not office buildings or other business facilities, an official said yesterday.

H. Sjafril Zainuddin, head of the City Funeral Office, said that under the project, which is projected to cost about Rp 2.6 billion (US$1.18 million), a park will be established along Jl. Penjernihan and Jl. KH. Mas Mansyur.

"In the park there will also be a fountain, a parking lot, a gate and an office of the cemetery management," he said.

The project is part of the agency's plan to change the function of public cemeteries in the capital from solely burial sites to green and scenic areas which can also function as water catchments.

He said that in a bid to make way for the project, the contents of 3,224 graves at Karet Bivak have been moved to other cemeteries since Aug. 25. (hhr)