No supervision for city buildings

No supervision for city buildings

From Kompas

In the past few months many houses in the Menteng area in Central Jakarta -- buildings which should be protected by the capital's administration for their historical value and architecture -- have been demolished. New houses have been built which are a far cry from the style prevalent in Menteng. It has, of course, led to a loss of the area's character.

In this context we wonder what the function is of the City Development Supervision Agency (Dinas P2K), because by virtue of Gubernatorial Decision No. D IV-6098/d/33/1975, it is prohibited to knock down or modify the houses. The agency has the authority to issue a building permit after stipulated conditions have been fulfilled. It does not function to encourage the razing of buildings; its duty is to maintain the wholeness of the city.

In our observation the regulation -- initially intended to protect the city's cultural assets -- has been wrongly applied, i.e. by sacrificing preserved buildings for personal interest.

An uncompromising stance and firm measures from the Jakarta governor are expected so that the capital's administration becomes an agency that really serves the interests of its residents.

According to the law on cultural preservation, the city administration is obliged to protect designated cultural buildings so Jakarta does not lose its artifacts. It is important the next generation knows and appreciates the areas with their own characteristics and uniqueness.

A. HEUKEN

GRACE PAMUNGKAS

Jakarta