Building houses in outskirt urged

TANGERANG (JP): State Minister of Public Housing Akbar Tandjung encouraged private developers yesterday to build houses on the outskirts of the city due to a shortage of inner-city land.

Akbar said houses, especially small ones, could no longer be built within the 65,000-hectare city, which is home to 10 million people.

"So, we suggest private developers build houses in Bekasi, Tangerang and Bogor," he said after inaugurating the Griya Hijau low-cost housing complex which is part of the huge Alam Sutera housing estate.

The minister said Tangerang, in particular, was a prime site for developing housing complexes for Jakartans because it is close to industrial sites.

Akbar praised PT Goldland Realty, the developer of Alam Sutera, for building small houses, including some 21-square-meter residences, inside the complex.

A company executive, Winaryo, said 7.5 hectares of the site had been designated for the construction of 650 small houses in the Griya Hijau complex.

The complex is equipped with a 700-square-meter market, a mosque, public toilets, and buildings for elementary and junior high schools, he said.

The company's general manager Soelaeman Soemawinata said Alam Sutera was built on 700 hectares of land, of which 300 hectares has been developed.

Soelaeman said his company started construction in 1993 and it is scheduled to be completed within 12 years and offer 13,800 houses with different designs and prices.

The housing complex, which will have its own retail store, outdoor sports arena and mini mart, was designed by SWA of the United States. (41/jun)