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overnor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo launched on Thursday an online building permit (IMB) application system at the Kemayoran district office in Central Jakarta.

'€œPeople used to complain about how long it took to process building permits. Now that it is online, everything will be smoother and faster.

'€œIt will normally take seven days to process [a permit] but this can be shortened to four days,'€ Jokowi said, encouraging local residents to use the system responsibly.

The Jakarta Construction Supervision and Regulation Agency (PPB) first introduced the online application procedure earlier this month, when the system came into effect.

Residents can apply for building permits by accessing dppb.jakarta.go.id and creating user accounts to track the application process.

At least 200 accounts have been created since the introduction of the new system.

The system has been introduced in a bid to curb building permit violations in the city'€™s five municipalities.

Developers and building owners were reluctant to apply for building permits in the official way, citing the complex, slow process.

This resulted in a number of illegally built structures, commercial premises and houses.

With the online system in place, all city residents are expected to secure a building permit before building houses or other buildings, as required in the city'€™s bylaws. Any failure to do so could result in the buildings being destroyed.

'€œIt is very easy now for residents to obtain building permits. So, any construction that has no permit will be torn down,'€ Jokowi said after the ceremony.

Applicants using the new online system need to submit their applications with the required accompanying documentation '€” in digitized form '€” to the website. Each applicant will then receive an account user name and password to enable them to monitor their application'€™s progress.

The PPB has issued an average of 12,000 building permits per year during the past five years, 80 percent of which were to build private residences.

The agency expects to generate Rp 220 billion (US$18.26 million) in building permit levies this year, up from Rp 202 billion in 2013 and Rp 168 billion in 2012.