Families 'wait' 8 years for power

BOGOR (JP): About 1,000 families from two villages in the Leuwiliang and Pamijahan districts are appealing to state-owned electricity company PLN to supply them with power.

"The electricity poles were installed here about eight years ago but there is still no power," E. Chaerudin, a long-time resident of Purasari, in Leuwiliang, said.

A Tanjung Jaya neighborhood chief, Oman, said that at least 1,000 families from the two villages began sending their application forms to PLN's Bogor office earlier this year.

"But there has been no response from PLN so far," he said.

In Oman's neighborhood in Purasari, the only source of electricity is a generator, which is owned by one of their neighbors, and villagers pay a monthly bill.

He said the owner of the generator had set a tariff of Rp 300 (U.S. 9 cents) per watt per month.

"So if someone wants to have 30 watts supplied to his home, he should pay Rp 9,000 per month."

The electric generator only operates from 6 p.m. to midnight, he said.

"For the remaining hours, people use traditional lamps or just put up with the darkness until sunrises."

The head of PLN's Bogor office, Pandu, could not be contacted yesterday but one of his staff members said the office had never received any applications from the villagers.

The staffer, who asked for anonymity, suggested that residents apply directly to PLN's office in Leuwiliang.

"If there have been 60 applications and the area and homes are technically okay to be supplied with electricity, lights can be turned on in the villages within three months," he said. (24/bsr)