Pondok Indah shops have permits

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."