900 families seek compensation

900 families seek compensation

SEMARANG: Nine hundred families living near Banger River are
demanding that the city administration improve on its offer of
compensation for land which is being acquired to make way for the
dredging of the river.

The residents are asking for cash compensation of between Rp
40,000 and Rp 50,000 per square meter of land, while the
government is only offering them resettlement at a low-cost
housing complex in Karangroto subdistrict.

The residents said the proposed housing area is located too
far from the city's center.

The government is planning to dredge Banger River at a cost of
Rp 3.5 billion to prevent the floods, which inundate the city
during the rainy season. About 63,000 square meters of land must
be acquired for the project. (har/sim)