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Jakarta to summon Parama management over fire incident
The Jakarta Spatial Planning Agency will summon the developer of the Parama Apartments in South Jakarta following a fire incident in the sealed apartment complex that left 18 people injured.
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Residents walk in the parking lot of Parama Apartments in South Jakarta on August 16. (Kompas.com/Nibras Nada Nailufar)
T
he Jakarta Spatial Planning Agency will summon the developer of the Parama Apartments in South Jakarta following a fire incident in the sealed apartment complex that left 18 people injured.
The agency sealed the apartment building in February because the management had not acquired an extension of its building worthiness certificate (SLF), which expired in 2000, agency head Benny Agus Chandra said on Tuesday. The certificate covered five years, which meant the building had long ago failed to undergo a worthiness check.
Claiming that he had only just been appointed in June, Benny said he would summon the developer of the apartments, PT Mahakam Indomakmur, as well as his own subordinates, to find out why the apartment was still operating despite the warnings and seal the agency had imposed.
The city administration warned the management on three occasions until February, eventually leading to the sealing up of the building.
Benny warned that he would dismiss agency officials should he find any conspiracy between his agency’s employees and the management. He will also report the case to Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.
After further investigation, the agency might also impose sanctions on the management.
“The management can be imposed with criminal sanctions if they are proved guilty of having threatened the life of the occupants,” Benny said while also acknowledging the city's poor documentation and supervision of buildings in the capital.
The South Jakarta Police conducted an investigation at the apartment complex on Tuesday to find out the cause of the fire that broke on Sunday afternoon.
The fire started on the 12th floor and spread to the 15th floor, leaving 75 occupants trapped in the apartment building. In the incident, 18 residents, mostly foreigners, suffered from suffocation and were brought to several hospitals in South Jakarta. Some of the fire sprinklers in the apartments did not function when the fire happened. The incident raised safety concerns surrounding the building and the building was later found to have been sealed by the city administration. (rin)
