1,400 families face eviction in Kapuk

JAKARTA (JP): More than 1,400 families in Kapuk, West Jakarta, are facing eviction by the state-owned housing company Perum Perumnas, which now wants to develop the land.

The families sent a 12-member delegation to the City Council yesterday asking legislators to help them seek appropriate compensation for their houses.

Councilors of commission A, which oversees administration, security and public order, said that Perumnas acquired the land in the 1970s but have yet to start building.

Confusion has ensued as the residents, unaware of the rightful owner, bought their plots of land from parties who claimed to own the property.

"We realize the land does not belong to us and we do not mind moving so long as we obtain compensation for our houses," a spokesman for the delegation Nainggolan told the councilors.

They were met by councilors Mohammad Aman, Fatommy Asaari, Abdoelhamid Notowidagdo, Sumari and Djenny Suharso, who promised to mediate the dispute.

Nainggolan said that the residents have rejected the levels of compensation offered by Perumnas, which range between Rp 5,000 and Rp 20,000 (US$2.2 - 9) per square meter.

According to the residents, the compensation is too low and insufficient to buy decent houses elsewhere.

Therefore, they are asking the city council to help them seek compensation of between Rp 200,000 and Rp 300,000 per square meter.

"We do not mean to exploit the situation to enrich ourselves. We just do not want to be neglected," said Sumarno, one of the residents.

He added that some residents have already accepted the original compensation offered by Perumnas.

The legislators promised to look into the residents' complaints and help them find the best solution. (32)