Minister Champions Bogor Villa Clearing

Jakarta Globe, Edi Hardum, January 3, 2014

Public order officers use a backhoe to demolish an illegally built house in the

 Megamendung area of the Bogor highlands on Dec. 12. Authorities have

destroyed more than 75 such buildings to date. (JG Photo/Vento Saudale)

Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto has lauded an ongoing campaign to demolish holiday homes built in no-development zones, an initiative that has long been called for but only set into motion last year by Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo.

“I express my appreciation to the Bogor administration for their work,” Djoko said at his office in Jakarta on Tuesday.

“For a long time no one has dared to demolish those illegal villas. I hope that the Bogor district administration will continue to be firm in dealing with these zoning violations.”

The Bogor Public Order Agency, working with the police and the military in a campaign sparked by Joko, has since October torn down more than 75 holiday villas and other buildings as part of efforts to eliminate a total of 239 illegal buildings in the Puncak area. The exercise is an attempt to restore the affected land to its original function as water catchment areas for the Ciliwung River.

Since coming into office in late 2012, Joko has made it one of his key objectives to pressure authorities in neighboring Bogor to crack down on the zoning violations, which have been widely blamed for degrading the area’s ability to absorb rainwater runoff, thereby exacerbating flooding downstream in Jakarta.

The government allocated Rp 2.1 billion for the demolitions until the end of 2013, funded by grants from the Jakarta administration.

The hilly Puncak area has long been a popular weekend destination for Jakarta residents, and for decades locals and outsiders have built homes and holiday rentals in the scenic area, often in direct violation of zoning regulations.

Rachmat Yasin, the Bogor district chief, said last month that after the demolitions, the areas would be restored to their original function.

“If it is arable land, we suggest the area be used as a productive land without any buildings. If it is a water catchment and conservation area, the district government will conduct reforestation,” he said on Dec. 4.

“Those buildings have been there for dozens of years, even before I became the head of Bogor district, and [people] have involved other high-ranking officials to put pressure” on the district government to turn a blind eye to the violations, he said.

However, Yasin said officials would continue with clearing the illegal dwellings, regardless of who the owners were. “I don’t care who owns the building. If it’s proven to be in violation of the law, then I will confront them,” he said.