Surabaya Authority: No Conversion Buildings to Shophouses

By Abdul Hakim Surabaya (Antara Jatim) - The Surabaya Administration denies that many residential buildings in the city have been converted to some shophouses and hotels without completed by some building permits. Head of the Surabaya Administration's Legal Department Maria Theresia Ekawati Rahayu said here Wednesday that the conversion residential buildings to shophouses (ruko) or hotels is legal, especially for areas along Jalan Mayjend Sungkono and Manyar Kertoarjo which have been designed as a trading and services area. "It is set in the Regulation of the Minister of Public Works (Ministry of Public Works) No. 24 of 2007 on the National Space Administration. So it does not matter if some residential buildngs converted to hotels or shops. Precisely, it is in accordance with the local authority's assign to make Surabaya as a city trading and services," she said. Meanwhile, a member of the Regional Representative Councils Erick Tahalele said that as many as 50 buildings in the city have been converted to shophouses and hotels. However, the building conversion process without completing with a building permit (IMB), so the potential city tax revenue lost. (*)