50 homes torn down

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)