City govt neglects slums

City govt neglects slums

From Warta Kota

The thousands of makeshift huts in the slums found butted up against the railway tracks in Manggarai, Tanah Abang, Sentiong and Kampung Bandan, in Jakarta, are apparently still beyond proper reordering. The squalid neighborhoods are obviously a dangerous area for people to live and it is believed to be a safe haven for petty criminals operating aboard trains.

In fact, the government has the duty to provide slum dwellers with decent shelter such as apartments with low rent. Instead of wasting money on city councillors' suits and world tours, the money should be spent on housing or other facilities for the urban poor.

Let us hope the Jakarta provincial administration in cooperation with state railway company PTKA will soon find a solution to help the poor and create order along the railway lines.

SULISTYO Jakarta