Villas demolition plans delayed

BOGOR (JP): The local authorities here have decided to delay their plans to demolish 32 villas located at the Gunung Mas tea plantation of the state-owned plantation firm PTPN VIII in the popular mountain resort of Puncak.

Spokesman for the Bogor regency administration, Helmi Gustian, said on Thursday that the decision would be postponed until the National Land Agency (BPN) issued its judgment over the alleged misuse of the land.

If the BPN later decided to extend the rights on land use of the buildings -- which would allow owners to continue offering their villas to vacationers -- the local administration would bury the demolition plan, Helmi said.

"We have to be careful in tearing down the villas, otherwise the villa owners will sue us," he added.

According to Helmi, the area is actually owned by PTPN VIII, which in 1996 proposed to the BPN that it extend its land use rights.

"But the company never got a response regarding the proposal, leaving the status of the land plots at the plantation unclear," he explained.

Because of the uncertain status, a number of residents subsequently claimed the land and then offered the plots to wealthy visitors who intended to build villas using fake building permits, Helmi said.

"At least two of the 32 villas already claimed were said to have proper building permits. When we checked the authenticity of the permits, however, both were bogus and were not listed with the City Spatial Agency," he added.

Helmi reminded the residents and owners of the villas that the land at the tea plantation belonged to the state and therefore the public had no right to own or build on the land without legal authorization.

Thousands of people, particularly Jakartans, spend their weekends and holidays at the Puncak area by renting hotels and villas in the area. (21/09)