Acting Jakarta GovernorDjarotSaifulHidayatinstructed Public Order Agency to demolish illegal buildings that began to spread under the expressway aroundKalijodoarea in North Jakarta.
Kalijodoused to be a major prostitution location before the Jakarta government demolished the brothels and houses and then built a public park there.
Djarotis now on a mission to complete the project to revitalize the area.
God willing, next week (well do it) so it will be finished beforeEid, he said at the Jakarta City Hall today. We tried to do it yesterday, but to avoid clash, we decided to back down. Well work together with the police.
Public Order Agency (SatpolPP) was sent to demolish the building last Friday afternoon, but the plan was stopped as there were more residents thanSatpolPP personnel at the location.
This time,Djarotwill not bother to issue warning letter to warn those living under the expressway about the demolition.
No need. Weve warned them many times and they keep on building there, he said.
Djarotclaimed that the demolition is needed so prostitution will not sprout inKalijodoagain.
If we let them, the buildings will become permanent and people can use it for prostitution again, he said.
The location has been reported to host illegal prostitution activities lately, as reported by Detik.
Djarotpromised that the demolition will not only apply toKalijodoand its surroundings. Semi-permanent houses built in other areas will also be dismantled.
"I have orderedSatpolPP to dismantle [the buildings], not only inKalijodo,Ancolas well, including in Kampung Aquarium,"he said.
He said illegal buildings should not be allowed to stand for too long as the buildings might turn the area into another slum.
After we dismantle them, we'll put fences if needed. [It will be] kept using fences and the land will be planted, something like that. In Jakarta, there should be no vacant land abandoned for too long. It could be occupied [illegally],"saidDjarot.
But where the residents of the newKalijodo will live then?
Djarotsaid that hes open to give them places in government subsidized apartments, but only if the residents are the ones affected by the governments river normalization programs.
Some of them are whose house were destroyed during the river normalization program, and some come from other areas nearKalijodo, he said. If they used to live on the riverbanks and were affected by the program, we can move them to the apartments.
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