Renovation permit for PIM

The South Jakarta administration has said that it will issue a permit for the renovation of Pondok Indah Mall which was ravaged by fire over the weekend after the completion of an investigation concerning the condition of the structure.

Djafri Djamaluddin, the head of South Jakarta Development Supervision Office, said that the investigation will be done by a team from the mayoralty administration.

"We have formed a team to conduct the investigation," Djafri said on Sunday as quoted by Pos Kota.

Djafri promised to simplify the processing of the permit for the reconstruction of the shopping center because the damage caused by the blaze affects the interests of many people.

A fire swept through the southern section of Pondok Indah Mall at 3 a.m. on Saturday, completely gutting the Cahaya department store and damaging the Nelayan Village seafood restaurant and the Mothercare children's store. All are located on the second floor.

No casualties were reported in the blaze, which lasted eight hours.

Police said they were still investigating the cause of the blaze but E. Sumarna, the chief of South Jakarta fire department, said the fire may have started in Nelayan Village restaurant.

The three-story building, which is made of glass-enclosed walls with a thick plastic material covering the roof, is owned by PT Metropolitan Kencana whose shareholders include business tycoons Ciputra, Sudwikatmono and Anthony Salim.

Pondok Indah Mall was built in 1991.(has)