Pondok Indah shops have permits
Leony Aurora, Jakarta
Entrepreneurs who use residential buildings as commercial and business premises in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, assert that they have obtained permits from various agencies of the city administration.
Dian Soeryomurti, the operational manager of the Martha Tilaar day spa in the area, said on Tuesday that the salon had acquired a permit from the Jakarta Health Agency and fulfilled all the necessary requirements, including obtaining the consent of the neighbors.
"We were told that those (permits) were all we needed," said Soeryomurti. The salon's permit, obtained in 2002, will expire in 2006.
Houses converted into business premises should have their status changed by the city's Construction Supervision and Regulation Agency (PPB) and refurbish the building to accommodate proper safety features required for commercial spaces.
Article 14 of Bylaw No. 7/1991 on buildings in the city stipulates that buildings that do not comply with the usage as specified in their permit have to be demolished or renovated in accordance with the regulations.
Governor Sutiyoso set a one-month deadline on Monday for officials in five municipalities to make sure converted houses were operating in accordance with the regulations. Recognizing that the granting of permits by various city agencies often overlapped, the governor has said that businesses with permits can continue to operate until they expire.
Pondok Indah and Menteng in Central Jakarta have come under the spotlight as the PPB has named them as the current priorities.
Chairperson of the Pondok Indah Entrepreneurs Association (P3I), Anisa Mirza, said the organization had not received any notification from the administration regarding this matter.
The administration had only contacted P3I, which has 17 members among the 29 businesses in the area, for data on permits, she said.
"We will plead with the governor not to close us down," she said, adding that a hearing with Sutiyoso is scheduled in early June.
"We cater to the needs of the residents here and they are not disturbed by our activities," said Mirza, who operates a women- only aerobics studio as well as a cafeteria -- with a permit from the tourism agency. Eighty percent of the studio's 150 active members are housewives in the area, she said.
P3I estimates that about 1,800 people, comprising of employees and their families, will lose their livelihood should the city pursue the plan.
Patty, 30, an employee of the Griya Srikandi Salon, said all the workers in the area were worried about their fate. "Where will we go? It's so difficult to find work.
"Just don't allow people to open more businesses," she said. "But please, leave us (the existing ones) alone."