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.