Sutiyoso orders agency to take down billboards

Sutiyoso orders agency to take down billboards

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso ordered Jakarta Revenue Agency head Deden
Supriadi on Monday afternoon to remove billboards along the
Sedyatmo toll road in Kapuk, North Jakarta, that were put up
without the agency's permission.

The governor said he was "very upset" with the illegal felling
of mangrove trees in the protected forest alongside the toll road
to make way for the billboards, which were put up by the PT
Rainbow Cipta Utama advertising agency.

"I cannot tolerate this violation because they cut down
mangrove trees in a protected forest," he said at City Hall. "We
will turn the case over to the police and the city agriculture
and forestry agency for further investigation and legal
proceedings."

More than 240 trees, mostly mangrove trees, were cut down to
make billboards in 10 locations along the toll road more visible
to passing motorists heading to and from Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport in Cengkareng, Tangerang.

City spokesman Muhayat said PT Rainbow received a permit from
toll road operator PT Jasa Marga to put up the billboards, but
should also have obtained a permit from the city administration.

He said PT Rainbow had earlier proposed the construction of
the billboards, but was rebuffed by the administration because
the location was within a protected forest.

Agriculture and forestry agency head Peni Susanti told The
Jakarta Post a joint team comprising police officers and agency
officials had questioned two employees of PT Mandara Permai over
the illegal felling of the trees. PT Mandara Permai is the
developer of the Pantai Indah Kapuk housing estate, which is
located near to the area where the trees were cut down.

"The employees said they had seen several people in cars,
which were later identified as Jasa Marga vehicles, at the site.
They thought the people were only cleaning up the area," she
said.

Peni said the team was scheduled to question employees from PT
Jasa Marga on Thursday and PT Rainbow on Friday.

The chairman of the Association of Outdoor Advertisement
Agencies of Jakarta, Didi Oetama Afandi, estimated that one of
the billboards in question could bring in about Rp 140 million
(US$16,470) a year for Jasa Marga and Rp 200 million annually for
the city's coffers.