Renovated house dismantled

Some 50 workers hired by the City Building Management and Supervision Agency (P2B) on Thursday destroyed 17 pillars of a luxury house under renovation Jl. Imam Bonjol, Central Jakarta.

Head of the penalty division of Central Jakarta's P2B office Utun Ahadiat said the workers were ordered to destroy the house's pillars because its owner did not have any permit to renovate his property.

The 300-square-meter house was built on a 800-square-meter block of land located in the historical area of Menteng. All properties, including houses, in the area are protected. The owners may renovate the properties but are required to maintain the original design.

Utun said buildings in the Menteng area were categorized as class C protected heritage, whose renovation had to be carried out carefully.

There are three categories of protected heritage. Category A refers to buildings that have to be protected in their entirety, while category B refers to buildings or entities that may be partly renovated without affecting their uniqueness. Category C refers to buildings that may be replaced with new buildings as long as they fulfill certain criteria.

"If the owner wants to renovate the building, he must seek a permit from P2B," Utun was quoted by Antara as saying while witnessing the demolition.

The workers began pulling down the pillars at 10:30 a.m. under tight security provided by police.

Jerry, an employee of PT Arkon Permata Cipta, the developer of the house, tried to prevent the demolition, saying that the permit was being processed.

According to Utun, his office had sent a letter on June 15 to the building owner ordering him to stop the renovation. The letter was followed by an order to seal the project on June 16, while the order to demolish the poles was issued on June 17.

On June 20, P2B also destroyed a building under renovation on Jl. Hayam Wuruk, Central Jakarta as it had no construction permit, said Utun.

According to bylaw No. 7/1999 on construction permits in Jakarta, property owners must obtain a permit from P2B before they can renovate a house or any other building. -- JP