Social role for Timor buildings

Social role for Timor buildings

JAKARTA (JP): The city will soon change the use of Timor and
Humpuss buildings belonging to former president Soeharto's son
Hutomo Mandala Putra on Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur, Central Jakarta,
for social services because their construction violated existing
land-use regulations.

Central Jakarta Mayor Andi Subur Abdullah said yesterday that
according to Presidential Decree No. 25/1995 on the development
of the Medan Merdeka area, private companies were forbidden from
building offices along nearby streets.

The streets covered by the decree include Jl. Medan Merdeka
Barat, Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur, Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan and Jl.
Medan Merdeka Utara. The streets are designed to be buffer zones
for the Medan Merdeka park, where the National Monument (Monas)
stands.

"We are about to change the use of the two high-rise buildings
into places for social services," he said.

When asked what types of social services would be offered at
the sites, Andi said: "We haven't decided it yet."

On top of prohibiting private companies from establishing
office buildings, the decree also stipulates that buildings in
the area should not be higher than the National Monument.

Numerous government buildings, including presidential and
ministerial offices as well as the American Embassy, are located
on the streets.

Asked about the possibilities that the building owners pay
penalties for the violation, Andi said he would study the matter
first.

"We haven't gone that far," he said.

Andi also said he was looking into projects closely related to
Soeharto's family in the mayoralty.

"We'll study the projects' legal basis first before taking
action against their owners," he said.

Andi also insisted that the mayoralty would continue the
beautification of the Monas area.

Commenting on the opposition to the beautification project
from street vendors forced by the project to relocate to a site
further from the Monas area, the mayor said he would urge them to
abide by the existing order.

"I've repeatedly asked the administration to provide proper
lighting at the relocation site to help attract the vendors, but
up to now there has been no response," he said.

Many of the vendors who were told to relocate to the new site
have reoccupied their former selling spots, including the
monument's gateway where visitors of the park enter.

The vendors strongly rejected the relocation plan because it
significantly reduced their daily incomes. (ind)