Sutiyoso sets deadline on homes used as businesses

Sutiyoso sets deadline on homes used as businesses

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso gave officials in five municipalities a one-
month deadline to regularize houses used as commercial premises
or business places.

"I instructed my subordinates this morning to register all
converted buildings across the city in order to regularize them,"
he said at City Hall on Monday.

Within a month, city officials will carry out a reregistration
of converted buildings, especially to check if the owners of the
buildings have permission from the government to do business
there.

Sutiyoso said if building owners failed to produce permits,
the officials could close down the businesses.

"If building owners can show permits for their businesses or
commercial operations, we will allow them to run the business but
will not renew the permits," he said.

To ensure that the regularizing process runs smoothly,
Sutiyoso has appointed the assistant to the City Secretary for
Development Affairs, IGKG Suena, to coordinate with other
relevant officials.

Any changes to building use that are carried out without the
knowledge of the city's Building Arrangement and Supervision
Agency (PPB), are against Bylaw No. 7/1991 on buildings in the
city. Unfortunately, the bylaw has been infrequently enforced
since its issuance in 1991, as other agencies can also issue a
permit, although the issuance does not take into account the
existing building use permit.

Sutiyoso admitted that an overlap in city regulations had led
to the chaos with regard to the building use permit system.

"There are several regulations that must be revised," he said,
without elaborating.

PPB head Djumhana Tjakrawirja said the change to commercial
use of houses had left most of them in serious danger as they
were not designed to contain the safety features required for
commercial and business purposes.

So far, the administration has prioritized several areas in
the city where the practice of converting homes to commercial and
business space has been particularly marked. The areas include
Pondok Indah, Kemang and Kebayoran Baru, all in South Jakarta,
and Menteng, Central Jakarta.

On April 20, Sutiyoso established a special team to regulate
the converted buildings. The team, manned by 102 officers
representing different agencies in the administration, would
patrol the city to search for the buildings.

The team head, who is also the Jakarta Public Order Agency
head, Soebagio, said the team would begin by focusing its efforts
on Pondok Indah and Menteng, both known as upmarket residential
areas.

He said houses in both areas had been converted into education
centers, travel agencies, beauty parlors, cafes, health clinics
and restaurants.

Soebagio added his special team would expand its work into
other areas of the city, including Kebayoran Baru.