Mayor takes aim at buildings along banks

Mayor takes aim at buildings along banks

JAKARTA (JP): Bogor mayor H. Eddy Gunardi will summon the Bogor water office chief in connection with the construction of a number of illegal brick structures along the banks of the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers.

The summons apparently follows a report that the Bogor water office and the Bogor public works office have issued permits for some parties to build brick walls on the banks of the two rivers without the approval of the mayor's office.

The illegal walls were apparently built to prevent the steep slope of the riverbank eroding.

According to Bogor administration Spokesman M. Basit, the 1974 Law No. 5 about provincial administration has stipulated that the mayor is the sole ruler of a township and all development procedures need his approval.

Basit was quoted by Suara Karya daily on Saturday as saying that the two entities have overstepped their authority by issuing such permits without the mayor's approval.

The Bogor water office considered the mayor's statement an exaggeration since the agency had consulted the mayor's office through the public works office, a body which is overseen by the mayor's office, before deciding to build the retaining walls.

"We always coordinate with the Bogor administration through the Bogor public works office," an executive of Bogor water office, Danny Mulyana Mustafa, said over the weekend.

Suara Karya reported that there are several brick structures built along the banks of Cisadane, Ciliwung and Cipakancilan rivers without official permits from the mayor's office.

Some of the illegal structures were built by owners of 16 kiosks at Muria Plaza building, which is located near the banks of Cipakancilan river while others were built by PT Irama Nusantara and PT Pamada Jaya close to the Ciliwung riverbank.(mas)