Battle over land management continues

Battle over land management continues

BATAM, Riau: A disagreement between the municipal
administration and the Batam Industrial Development Authority
(BIDA) over who has the right to control the island's land
affairs has continued following the implementation of regional
autonomy.

The municipal administration is claiming full authority over
the land's management in line with the 1999 Regional Autonomy
Law, while BIDA is defending its right to govern under Law No.
53/1999 and Presidential Decree No. 41/1973.

Achmad Dahlan, the lawyer for BIDA, said that the land
management issue was one of thousands of BIDA's jurisdictions
that the municipal administration wanted to take over.

Fatullah, a spokesman for the local administration, said his
office had not gone to the table yet to find a way to solve the
disagreement.

"According to the law, both sides should sit down and discuss
the issue to find an answer to the key problem," he said, adding
that the central government should issue a regulation that
requires both sides to manage the land, especially in industrial
zones. --JP