Idle land to be planted with cash crops temporarily

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)