East Cengkareng residents refuse to accept compensation money

East Cengkareng residents refuse to accept compensation money

JAKARTA (JP): Representatives of East Cengkareng subdistrict
residents complained to the City Council yesterday that the
amount of compensation offered by the city for the appropriation
of their land is unfair.

Bachtiar Ritonga, the spokesperson for the residents, told
reporters that the amounts offered by the city administration
range from Rp 1,385 to Rp 25,000 per square meter.

Bachtiar said the residents are aware of the fact that they
are now living on a 20-hectare plot of land owned by the state.
Even thought the property does not belong to them, they are
demanding a higher sum of compensation which is adequate to
enable them to buy houses in other places.

"We are not against the government program but we want the
city to take our plight into consideration by paying us enough
compensation we can buy houses," Bachtiar said.

He said the residents were being intimidated by Cengkareng
district officials and the state-owned housing company into
accepting the compensation money offered.

Bachtiar claimed the officials ordered the residents to
immediately take the compensation money because the city plans to
demolish their houses on Dec. 22.

"How can we find new houses within two weeks in this rainy
season," he said.

He added that the residents' woes worsened when the city
announced that there are only 1,044 families entitled to the
compensation money, while there are 1,750 families living on the
land. (mas)