Idle land to be planted with cash crops temporarily

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso has given impoverished residents in several areas in the city the green light to cultivate idle plots of land on a temporary basis as of next month.

Sutiyoso told property owners not to fret over his policy because he, as governor, guaranteed they would not lose their land. The plots will be returned to their rightful owners when the economic crisis ends.

The first phase of the project will begin on state land, the governor told journalists here on Friday.

The monetary crisis which began last July has caused the poor so much hardship that all possible ways to alleviate their suffering must be attempted, he said.

Hundreds of hectares of land in Jakarta and surrounding areas have been left neglected by property developers, who can no longer afford to run construction projects due to the high cost of building materials.

"So I appeal to developers to allow their disused plots to be put under cultivation. Plots will be returned when the situation improves," he said.

Asked about the possibility of plots being illegally occupied by the temporary users, Sutiyoso said the administration would guarantee the return of the land.

"I, the governor, am the guarantee. The administration only means to borrow the land and will return it in due course," he said.

Sutiyoso said that lands would be planted with fast growing crops, such as vegetables, chili and corn.

He said the administration was still approaching owners of unproductive land and encouraging them to participate in the project.

The administration has yet to obtain detailed data on vacant land from the city's five mayors, especially land located along roads.

In South Jakarta, mayor Pardjoko said 50 hectares of land is currently unused.

Lukman Mokoginta, a member of City Council Commission D for development affairs, once said there were thousands of hectares of land in and around the city which were abandoned by owners when the real estate business slackened off due to the monetary crisis.

He referred specifically to parcels of land on Jl. Kebon Sirih in Central Jakarta, the Kuningan area in South Jakarta, Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta and a 25-hectare plot for a cemetery in Bintaro, South Jakarta.

There are also lots of empty plots in East Jakarta, which were originally set aside for real estate projects, he added.

A 1990 gubernatorial decree and instruction details procedures for making use of neglected plots of land.

But according to Rofine Nataprawira, a senior official in the city's agriculture agency, implementing the terms of the decree has proved difficult because most land owners worry that temporary occupants may set up illegal squatter settlements on their property.

Sutiyoso said the administration would invite the city police and military to become involved in the project. (ind)