Karet cemetery to get $1.18m facelift
JAKARTA (JP): The refurbishment of the Karet Bivak public cemetery in Central Jakarta, scheduled to start next year, is projected to cost about Rp 2.6 billion (US$1.18 million).
Sjafril Zainuddin, head of the City Funeral Agency, told reporters over the weekend that the project will include the construction of a park in front of the cemetery's main entrance and a parking lot.
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 for water catchment.
A municipal regulation issued in 1992 forbids the construction of grave sites done with bricks or concrete.
Sjafril said that all the concrete tombs in Karet Bivak cemetery will be removed in stages.
He said that in a bid to make way for the construction of the park and parking lot at Karet Bivak, the contents of 3,224 graves will soon be moved to other cemeteries.
He said that the 3,224 graves are located on 9,655 square meters of land.
Relocation plan
Sjafril urged Jakartans whose relatives are buried in that location to go to his office at Karet Bivak public cemetery to get information on the relocation plan.
"We will start relocating the contents of the graves on Sept. 10, so please check them at my office as soon as possible," Sjafril said, adding that the agency is not charging anything for the relocation.
The agency has selected two other public cemeteries for relocation purposes: the Srengseng Sawah and Kampung Kandang cemeteries in South Jakarta.
According to data at the agency, out of the 614 cemeteries in Jakarta, only 101, covering a total area of 556 hectares, are in line with the city planning.
The remaining 513 cemeteries, with a total area of 92.07 hectares, consist of small, traditional graveyards. As they are considered no longer in line with the city planning, the contents of the graves in these small cemeteries will be moved.
Out of the 513 graveyards, 276 are located in South Jakarta, 107 in West Jakarta, 96 in East Jakarta, 33 in North Jakarta and one in Central Jakarta. (yns)