Sutiyoso to take firm action against mall builder
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso promised on Tuesday to take stern action against the developer of the Senayan Trade Center (STC), which is currently under construction, if it did not also build an indoor basketball hall inside the center.
"I will take stern action. The developer promised to build an air-conditioned basketball stadium for spectators inside the center," Sutiyoso told reporters.
He said the center, which was given its principal permit during the administration of city governor Surjadi Soedirdja and state minister/state secretary Moerdiono in 1994, did not violate the city's zoning regulations.
He said the zoning of area around the center, located to the left of Plaza Senayan, had been changed from a green area into a commercial area.
"But I asked the developer to build a sports facility. That's why I gave the permit," Sutiyoso remarked.
He said the development of the seven-story Senayan trade center was needed to cover the maintenance costs of the Bung Karno Sports Complex, as part of the trade center will be rented out.
Separately, a senior city official said on Tuesday the developer only planned to build a mall and there was no plan to build a sports facility in the center.
"It's just a mall. You can see from the site blueprint," the official who asked not to be named, told reporters.
The official said the developer who is the daughter of former minister of justice and state minister/state secretary Muladi asked Sutiyoso for a building permit for the construction, which was planned to be named Wisma Basketball.
The proposal was approved since Sutiyoso is also the chairman of the Indonesian Basketball Association (Perbasi), the official said.
"Sutiyoso was 'cheated'. The developer only used the name Wisma Basketball for their own interests," the official said.
Another source said the STC development violated the city's zoning regulation, which was stipulated in Bylaw 6/1999, since the area around the Bung Karno Sports Complex had been designated as an open, green area.
The source said the development of a building could still be tolerated if the developer also built a sports facility.
"The area around STC is no longer zoned as a commercial area but has been rezoned as a green area according to the city's spatial zoning plan up to 2010," the source said.
Meanwhile, a big banner was seen in front of the planned center on Jl. Asia Afrika, South Jakarta, stating: "This luxurious super block is being marketed."
A signboard near the banner stated that the STC was being built by PT KIMS.
Commenting on the issuance of the building permit for STC, City Council Speaker Edy Waluyo asked Sutiyoso on Tuesday to be consistent in upholding the law.
"If the permit given was for a sports facility but then it was discovered that the developer was building a warung (food stall), it should be demolished," Edy told reporters.
Besides the STC, the administration also plans to demolish an exhibition building in the eastern parking lot of the sports complex.
But some city councillors opposed the demolition and questioned why the administration only intended to demolish the building owned by a small company PT Anggara and not the building owned by the larger company PT City Neon. Both companies were issued permits to build temporary structures in the sports complex and had violated their permits by building permanent structures. (jun)