After Meeting with SOE Holding Agency, Ara Affirms Tanah Abang Land as State Asset
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Housing and Settlement Areas Minister Maruarar Sirait has assured that the land owned by PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) in the Tanah Abang area constitutes a state asset. This land is planned to be used for developing housing for low-income communities (MBR).
This was conveyed by Maruarar following a cross-agency coordination meeting held at Danantara with the SOE Holding Agency (BP BUMN), the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), the Anti-Land Mafia Task Force, and PT KAI management.
In the meeting, they identified three plots of KAI-owned land in the Tanah Abang area with a total area of approximately 4.3 hectares. The details include one location at Pasar Tasik covering about 1.3 hectares, and two locations at Tanah Abang Bongkaran covering around 3 hectares with Land Management Rights (HPL) numbers 17 and 19.
Maruarar, affectionately known as Ara, revealed that her side had previously conducted checks and consultations with the Ministry of ATR/BPN to confirm the land’s status. She acknowledged that there had been differing views regarding the land’s status, but the government now confirms it as a state asset.
“So, when I went there, we had already consulted, we are confident it’s state land. But there were other parties who were not convinced it’s state land,” said Ara during a press conference at Wisma Danantara on Friday (17/4/2026).
“If there are two differing parties, well, we are the state. We have checked, we have consulted. The consultation to check if the land is a state asset or not, of course, with ATR BPN,” she continued.
The meeting was also conducted with the knowledge of ATR/BPN Minister Nusron Wahid as part of cross-ministerial coordination.
With the certainty of the land’s status, Ara assured that the construction of community housing will proceed promptly. She revealed that the private sector through its CSR programme, namely PT Astra International Tbk. (ASII), has even expressed readiness to build flats on the land.
“Yes, we will use it for the interests of the state, the interests of the Indonesian people. There is already CSR from Astra ready to build flats. The asset still belongs to the railway,” she explained.
Nevertheless, Ara emphasised that ownership of the land remains with PT KAI as a state asset.
“There are already parties ready to build. For whom? For our society,” she said.
The government also affirmed that land security measures will be taken, including coordination with the Anti-Land Mafia Task Force.
Furthermore, Ara stated that her side is ready to install signage at the location next Monday as a form of notification to the public regarding the land’s status.