Supervising development

Supervising development

The local adage that certain people can see a bacteria across
the sea more clearly than they can see an elephant standing right
before their eyes aptly depicts a reality Jakartans have lived
with for some time. In fact, residents of this nation's capital
have become so used to reports of irregularities in development
projects that such stories just don't seem to shock any more.

The crux of the problem appears to be that the officials sent
out routinely by the city administration to supervise the
legality of construction activities are not adept at spotting
elephants. It is a well known fact that unauthorized projects go
on in clear view of the public all of the time. This has gone on
for years, if not decades.

Just recently the questionable development of a golf course
on Big Bira island in the Jakarta Bay became public knowledge.
Apparently the entire project had been undertaken without the
proper permits. Worse still, the work done by the private-sector
company, PT Pulau Seribu Paradise, was found to be having a
disastrous impact on the environment.

One might ask: "How could this possibly have happened in the
capital city, which is supposed to set an example for the proper
management of development programs throughout the nation?"

The list of violations of city regulations would seem endless
if we also took into account the construction of multi-story
buildings and housing complexes going on without permits or in
violation of permit stipulations with a permit throughout the
capital over the years.

There are far too numerous demonstrations of arrogance and
greed among developers, ranging from the manipulation of land
titles to the refusal to build the facilities required under
regulations, including adequate parking areas for high-rise
structures, or schools, parks and sports centers in housing
complexes. Many developers also have neglected the provision of
roads, ditches and street illumination for their projects. They
also blatantly disregard any inconvenience caused to the public
by the damage done to streets by their heavy trucks which
transport soil and rocks to and from their constructions sites.

Now, on top of all of this, a great deal of confusion has been
generated in the last couple of weeks concerning the construction
activities at the Palm Estate housing complex. The construction
of 207 luxury houses on a seven-hectare plot of land in East
Jakarta was reported to have taken place without a building
permit. The situation was such that East Jakarta Mayor Sudarsono
threatened to stop services to the developer, a firm which
apparently held a subcontract for construction from the owner of
the property, until a permit was procured.

Then just yesterday, the chief of the City Development and
Supervision Office, Suharto, said that the work at Palm Estate
was covered by the necessary building permit. He clarified that
the permit had been issued in the name of PD Sarana Jaya, the
city-owned housing company that owned the land. He said the East
Jakarta mayor should have asked his office for information
concerning the status of the Palm Estate project.

Clearly this case only goes to show the lack of organization
in the issuance of permits, and, worst of all, the lack of
coordination among the agencies responsible for issuing permits
and monitoring construction processes.

With such blind spots existing on the part of the authorities,
developers can be caught in the lurch, thinking they had the
right to start construction, only to find someone questioning the
validity of their activities. Worse yet, some of the more
unscrupulous developers get away with blatantly defying
regulations.

What is happening with the city building inspectors who are
expected to monitor the development projects in the capital? Are
they incapable of carrying out the task? Are they being
influenced to turn a blind eye? Or do they simply fail to see the
gross violations occurring all around them?

Clearly it is high time for a serious investigation into the
reasons for this chronic state of affairs. And the first step
necessary toward solving the problem is for the city
administration to admit publicly that its development supervision
system needs a thorough overhaul.