Shops construction protested

Shops construction protested

JAKARTA (JP): A group which says it represents residents of
the Speed Plaza shopping complex on Jl. Gunung Sahari, Central
Jakarta, went to the city council yesterday to protest the
construction of new shops by developer PT Speed Indonesia on a
plot of land which used to be a parking lot.

The delegation was received by Banjar Marpaung, chairman of
the Council's Commission D, which oversees development affairs.

"The construction of the stores on the land cannot be allowed,
because the land belongs to the state and should continue to
function as a parking area," Stefanus S. Indrapradja, the
spokesman for the delegation, told The Jakarta Post.

"Besides that, the construction disturbs the owners of the
shops around it," he said.

The residents said that they had complained about it to the
developer, but that the company had ignored their complaints and
continued to construct the shops. They said the developer had
even challenged them to report the case to the city
administration.

The residents questioned whether all proper procedures had
been fairly complied with by the developer.

"The developer's permit, No. 6425/IMB/1991, was revoked by the
city administration. But the developer renewed it in 1994 for a
six-month period," Stefanus said. (31)