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Permits isued for buildings already on reclaimed
Breeze on the bridge: A man jogs along a bridge connecting the artificial Maju Island and the Jakarta mainland at Pantai Indah Kapuk on Tuesday
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reeze on the bridge: A man jogs along a bridge connecting the artificial Maju Island and the Jakarta mainland at Pantai Indah Kapuk on Tuesday. The island is home to 932 buildings comprising 409 houses, 212 offices and 311 shophouses. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
The hundreds of buildings that were once sealed on reclaimed islets C and D, called Pantai Kita and Pantai Maju, in Jakarta Bay have opened their doors for buyers as they have obtained building permits (IMB) despite lingering questions over their legal status amid the controversial reclamation projects.
Lines of marketing billboards selling luxury houses and apartments stood at the entrance to reclaimed islet D when The Jakarta Post visited the area on Tuesday. The advertising billboards state the prices of residences on the island vary from Rp 3.4 billion (US$238,663) to Rp 6.2 billion, depending on size.
The main access to the artificial islands is a pair of bridges from Jl. Pantai Indah Kapuk in North Jakarta that connect directly to islet D.
Private cars were seen visiting the area occasionally while security guards, construction workers and cleaners were also in the area.
The 932 buildings comprising of 409 houses, 212 offices and 311 shophouses are mostly located on islet D.
Jakarta One Stop Service (PTSP) Agency head Benny Agus Chandra confirmed the building permits had been issued, saying that the developers had followed the procedures required to obtain them.
“The PTSP agency is only responsible for the issuance of IMB and one of the requirements, of course, is for the land status [to be clear],” Benny told the Post via text message on Wednesday without giving further details.
Earlier this year, a food court called the Food Street Area appeared on islet D and had been open daily from 4 p.m. until midnight despite questions over its legal status.
The Jakarta administration sealed the buildings in June last year when Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan argued that they did not have construction permits. The city administration took off the seals in November following Anies’ decision to hand over the management of the completed reclaimed islets to city-owned developer company PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro).
In September, Anies stopped work on 13 artificial islands in Jakarta Bay by voiding their principle permits.
Islet C and D, which are 276 hectares and 312 ha in size respectively, are managed by PT Kapuk Naga Indah, a subsidiary of the Agung Sedayu Group property giant.
The company had obtained the right-to-build certificates (HGB) for the islands from the National Land Agency (BPN) in August 2017.
Activists and local fishermen had also long been opposing the reclamation projects because of the damage they caused to the environment and their impacts on the fishermen’s livelihoods.
The city council and the city administration are to deliberate over a draft zoning bylaw for coastal areas and small islands this year. The bylaw is expected to stipulate that the artificial islets are for public purposes.
However, Jakarta City Council secretary M. Yuliadi said the council had yet to receive the draft, which was supposed to be proposed by the city administration.
City Council deputy speaker M. Taufik questioned the issuance of the IMB saying that ideally the permit should be issued after the city council and city administration completed their deliberations over the bylaw.
The existence of the bylaw was pivotal to make sure that any construction was in accordance with the zoning based on it to prevent any violations, he added.
Governor Anies refused to answer reporters’ questions about the issuance of the permits.
“The Kominfo [Jakarta Information, Communication and Statistics Agency] will give the explanation,” he said while walking away.
Jakpro corporate secretary Hani Sumarno said that while the issuance of building permits for the reclaimed islets was the city administration’s responsibility, the company’s main focus was on the infrastructure and facilities for public purposes on the artificial islets.
“Jakpro is currently focusing on building Jalasena [roads for physical activities] around the coast of the islets,” Hani told the Post.
The road is planned to be 3 meters wide and up to 7.6 kilometers long.
Jakpro is currently also preparing the islets to host a flag-raising ceremony on Indonesia Independence Day on Aug. 17 this year, which would need 20 ha to accommodate members of the public.
The president director of Pantai Maju developer PT Kapuk Naga Indah, Nono Sampono, did not respond to the Post’s request for comment on Wednesday.
Sausan Atika contributed to this report.
