Developer agrees to hold talks over compensation
Developer agrees to hold talks over compensation
JAKARTA (JP): The Kemayoran Area Development Board agreed
yesterday to open a dialog with residents of the Kebon Kosong and
Gunung Sahari sub-districts, Central Jakarta, to settle a dispute
over land compensation.
Hindro T. Soemardjan, one of the board's executives, told
reporters that he will open the dialog with the residents to set
the compensation rate.
"I will hold a meeting with the residents," Hindro said, after
a meeting yesterday with City Council's Commission A, which is in
charge of government affairs.
The decision to a hold meeting with the residents was made in
response to requests from councilors because the board has so far
only held negotiations with chiefs of the local district and sub-
districts.
"The dialog with sub-districts and district chiefs did not
represent the residents at all," Romulus Sihombing, one of the
councilors, said, adding that according to existing regulations,
residents must be involved in the setting of compensation rates
for land appropriation.
M. Aman, chairman of Commission A, said that sometimes people
just don't care about their ownership status but because they
have been living in the area for years they feel that they have
the right to get higher compensation.
Recently, about seven representatives of the subdistricts, who
claimed to represent about 5,000 residents, filed a complaint
with City Council over an unjust compensation. They demanded that
the board include the residents in setting the rate.
Several other residents of the two subdistricts also went to
City Council yesterday to meet with Commission A members, but
canceled their plan because the commission was already holding a
meeting with the board.
Leader of the delegation, Rahardjo Darsoprayitno, denied an
allegation from the chairman of the Kemayoran Area Development
Board that the residents were not giving all the facts, of the
land dispute, to City Council.
Rahardjo, in turn, accused the board of telling lies. "The
board said that it respects the residents and has taken humane
action, but in reality it only held two meetings. The first was
to tell us about the plan to appropriate our land and the second
to tell us the amount of the compensation," he said.
The board has never held negotiations with residents, to
determine the amount of the compensation, he said.
Last week Hindro accused the residents of not giving all the
facts, and said that none of the residents objected to the
compensation rate. He said residents will receive compensation in
the amount of 25 percent of the standard price of land, on the
grounds that the land they are occupying belongs to the
government.
Hindro said that the residents will receive from Rp 300,000
(US$136.36) to Rp 700,000 per square-meter for the land.
The offer, however, was turned down by the residents because
they insisted that the compensation be set in line with standard
prices. (yns)