Medan postpones relocating airport<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan<\/p>\n
Authorities in Medan have canceled plans to relocate the Polonia
\nairport to Kuala Namu, some 30 kilometers south of the city due
\nto a land dispute between the Air Force and a legislator.<\/p>\n
Zahrin Piliang, chairman of the North Sumatra provincial
\nlegislative council's Commission A on legal and administrative
\naffairs, conceded that the cancellation of the airport's
\nrelocation had something to do with the land dispute.<\/p>\n
\"The municipal administration wants the Air Force to settle
\nthe land dispute as soon as possible so that they will not be
\nfacing legal problems in carrying out the relocation project,\" he
\nsaid after presiding over a hearing with the Air Force, the local
\noffice of the Agrarian Agency and Aziddin, a member of the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The land dispute began as the Air Force allegedly broke its
\npromise to Aziddin for the latter's service to make legal
\ndocuments for a 300-hectare airbase located adjacent to Polonia
\nairport.<\/p>\n
During the hearing, the Air Force denied having made a deal
\nwith Aziddin on the land matters while Aziddin asserted that the
\nairbase authorities were promised seven hectares of the land
\nafter the certification of the land was completed.<\/p>\n
\"In this matter, I'm waiting for some fairness and the Air
\nForce's honesty,\" he said in hearing.<\/p>\n
Aziddin, also an influential Muslim figure in the city, called
\noff the business deal when the airbase commandant asked him to
\nseek a public notary to create legal ownership certificates for
\nthe more than 300 ha of airbase.<\/p>\n
He however said the certificates were produced at the request
\nof former president Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti
\nRukamana, president of PT Citra Lamtorogung Persada that was
\neying the land for business.<\/p>\n
\"Mbak Tutut used her power to appropriate the airbase when she
\nknew about the airport relocation project and asked the Air Force
\nto have a public notary certify the land within two months,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said that with the initiative of retired marshal S.
\nTubagus, a former Air Force chief, he was entrusted to make the
\nland's legal documents with a compensation that he would be given
\n7.8 hectares of the land.<\/p>\n
\"The Air Force must treat me fairly as I have spent much money
\nto work out the land's certification,\" he said.<\/p>\n
R.E. Purba who represented the Air Force in the hearing,
\ndenied that his institution had made a deal with Aziddin.<\/p>\n
\"The Air Force has never made an agreement with Aziddin in
\nthe process of certifying the 302-ha airbase,\" he said.<\/p>\n
After being certified, a portion of the land has been sold at
\na price of Rp 60 billion to a development company, PT Binareksa
\nEstate Mandiri which has given the land for a legal guarantee for
\na bank credit.<\/p>\n
The municipal administration has bought 1,300 ha of land in
\nKuala Namu at the price of Rp 144 billion for the airport
\nrelocation project while the Air Force has appropriated another
\n1,000 ha in an adjacent location.<\/p>\n
Zahrin said the provincial legislative council would hold
\nanother hearing with related sides some time in the near future
\nto help seek a peaceful solution to the dispute.<\/p>\n
\"Beside helping settle the land dispute, we will hold a
\nhearing with the consortium of companies that wins the bid,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He added the airport relocation project was previously planned
\nto start in early 2002.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/medan-postpones-relocating-airport-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}