50 homes torn down

JAKARTA (JP): West Jakarta mayoralty officers have torn down 50 homes in the first stage of the Angke River normalization project, even though few owners have agreed to the compensation set by the mayoralty.

Residents in the slum area had to surrender their property to the government, which will establish a park on the area in Cengkareng district.

About 60 workers and officers demolished the homes from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday without incident, Antara reported on Wednesday.

The mayoralty has offered Rp 350,000 (about US$44) to each affected family for its home, which authorities claim stands on state land.

Some have accepted the compensation and others are sticking to their guns for more money. Those who have refused the amount offered have asked the Legal Aid Institute for help.

"What we have done is in line with prevailing regulations," said Karsidin, an official in charge of supervising housing development.

Antara did not say how many residents were making demands or how much compensation they wanted. (pan)