Construction of Senen flyover postponed

JAKARTA (JP): A bizarre administrative error regarding the payment of compensation for the owner of a house to be demolished has impeded the construction of a flyover in the Senen area, Central Jakarta.

The building, located on Jl. Kramat Raya, has yet to be pulled down, reportedly because the officers in charge of the project had given the compensation payment to the wrong person.

The compensation should have been paid to the heirs of Kamal Zimah, the owner of the house being deceased. Instead it was paid to a woman named Chadijah, said City Councilor Edi Sukiswantari, as quoted by Suara Pembaruan yesterday.

"This minor, but strange problem, should be immediately solved. In any case it should not adversely affect the construction of the flyover," said Sukiswantari, a member of the council's Commission A which oversees development affairs.

She said her commission discussed the matter with the project officers last month. "They have promised to solve the problem as soon as possible and report it to the council."

Sukiswantari said she had also contacted the municipal administration's inspectorate responsible for land disputes to conduct an investigation into the truth of this "administrative blunder."

"It sounds strange. How come it could happen? Anyway things must be straightened out quickly as the construction of the flyover cannot be delayed any longer. It should be completed on schedule," she said.

The councilor also questioned the project officers over allegations that compensation, given to owners of buildings affected by the project, was made under an installment payment system. "The compensation should be paid in cash," she stressed.

The Senen flyover is one of eight flyovers now under construction in Jakarta. All eight are expected to be completed this year. Jakarta's Governor Surjadi Soedirdja hopes that with the completion of the flyovers and one underpass the city's nagging traffic problems may be partially solved.

Sources who requested anonymity told Suara Pembaruan that they smelt something fishy going on in the administrative procedures of the Senen flyover project.

The sources said the compensation sum of Rp 75 million should have been paid to the heirs of Kamal, the legitimate owner of the house in question."But then those corrupt project officers gave a sum of Rp 54 million to a certain Mrs. Chadijah who has no right whatsoever to accept the money because he has never occupied the disputed house."

Even if Chadijah does really exist and was duly entitled to the compensation, she should have received Rp 75 million instead of Rp 54 million, the sources said.

"But when this bizarre thing was uncovered, those cheeky officials simply said that they had given the money to the wrong person. We just could not help laughing as we could not see the logic of it whatsoever," the daily quoted the sources as saying. (bas)