Punish delinquent realtors: Soeharto

Punish delinquent realtors: Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto yesterday urged municipal
authorities in Jakarta and other big cities to take stern action
against real estate companies which develop areas designated
exclusively for water catchment zones.

Failure to act would strengthen the misperception that these
developers are immune from the law due to their strong political
backing, said State Minister of Environment Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja, quoting the president.

"They are not backed. The local authorities should just go
ahead and take action against them," Sarwono said.

The minister said he had been bothered by reports that some
local authorities have failed to stop real estate companies from
building in areas crucial for water catchment areas in major
cities like Jakarta and other big cities.

"This is wrong. They are harming the environment which is my
responsibility. Their failure to act has simply reinforced the
allegation that the authorities are part of it too."

He did not go into specifics but much new real estate in
Jakarta has been developed in areas previously believed to have
been designated as the city's green belts in contravention of
the spatial zones.

The Jakarta municipality has declared the areas south of
Jakarta as the principal water catchment zones and therefore any
housing development is highly discouraged and subject to
stringent requirements. Despite this policy, many new real
estate projects continue to mushroom in Jakarta's southern belt.

Asked to comment on the controversy over the development of
Pantai Indah Kapuk, which was built over reclaimed land in North
Jakarta, Sarwono said it was legitimate as long as the
environmental impact analysis permitted.

Environmental groups have criticized the authorities for
giving in to big and powerful Ciputra business group which
manages the Pantai Indah Kapuk. They said the real estate and
the land reclamation activities are harming the mangroves lining
the northern coast of Jakarta.

Sarwono said however that he lamented the current practice of
approving the real estate development first before compelling
companies to undertake the environmental impact analysis (Amdal).

"It's as if Amdal is simply used to giving legitimacy to any
project. If that's the way they do it, then I object."

He said that a project should be given the go ahead if the
benefits outweigh the costs, and the same principle applies in the
case of land reclamation.

Given that the Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal)
which oversees Amdal is under his charge, Sarwono said he had
ordered his staff "never to compromise on this issue."

Sarwono yesterday also reported to the President about
Indonesia's plan to host the second conference on the UN Convention
on Biodiversity Resources towards the end of 1995.

Indonesia has already signed and ratified the convention which
commits itself to the protection of biodiversity resources to the
protocol in biodiversity research, including genetic engineering.
(emb)