Bogor mayoralty to contest lawsuit

BOGOR (JP): The Bogor mayoralty will defend a lawsuit to be filed by residents of the luxurious Vila Duta housing complex, who oppose the construction of a ring road, the mayoralty's spokesman Anas S. Resmana said yesterday.

Anas said the mayoralty had prepared a dossier on the project, which is to link Jl. Warung Jambu to Jl. Pajajaran via Jl. Tunjung Biru.

"We are ready to explain the details (of the project) if the residents sue us."

The lawsuit was scheduled to be filed yesterday at the Special Administrative Court in Bandung, West Java.

Anas said the road project has been planned since 1984 and the mayoralty had informed the developer of the housing complex, PT Pioneer.

A group of residents from the complex threatened to sue the mayoralty following the demolition last week of a portal on Jl. Tunjung Biru, which runs through the complex.

The portal was erected by the residents who fear that turning the road into a public thoroughfare will disrupt the complex's security.

The residents have reportedly appointed lawyer O.C. Kaligis to represent them in the case.

Rully Roedjito, one of the residents, said he did not believe that the road project had been planned since 1984.

He accused the mayoralty of changing the plan because it could no longer afford to pay for land appropriation.

The residents also plan to sue the developer for failing to inform the people who bought into the housing complex.

"Nobody would buy houses in the complex if they had been told that the housing complex would be divided by the road project," Rully said. (24)