Illegal villas on plantation destroy nature
Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor
An activist of the People Loves the Environment (WAKAL) organization revealed on Thursday that around 691 hectares of the Gunung Mas tea plantation located in the Puncak resort area had been used for building 316 villas over the last six years, further damaging the environment.
"The land, which had been neglected for six years, was taken control of by land brokers and sold to many state officials in Jakarta who later built villas on the land," WAKAL chairman Habib Ahmad Sjaugy Gathmyr told The Jakarta Post.
He suspected the land brokers were backed by the police, "because every time we made reports on these violations, the police, especially the Megamendung police, turned a blind eye".
Separately, Bogor Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. M. Taufik said he would check whether any of his subordinates were involved.
The deputy administrator of PTP Nusantara VIII, Acep Sutiana, explained that the enterprise had asked the National Land Agency (BPN) to renew its land title in 1997, but, until now, there had been no explanation as to why the Agency had yet to issue the renewal.
Acep said that of the total 1,703 hectares of tea plantation, 300 hectares had been preserved as a protected forest and water catchment area in a joint project with WAKAL.
"But the remaining 691 hectares have been stolen, which has caused us losses of up to Rp 55 billion (US$6.47 million). Moreover, we still have to pay tax on the stolen land which amounts to Rp 1 billion per year," he said.
Habib Ahmad said that a water catchment area in Acret block, Kuta village, Megamendung, had become the target of Jakarta's rich, despite the fact that a 1999 Presidential Decree prohibits building in the area.
"Last month, a police officer who claimed to be from the West Java Police, accompanied by the Megamendung police chief, said that the Acret block belonged to the West Java Police chief. A few days later, the directors of a Jakarta foundation came and paid Rp 6 billion for this land to a land broker," he revealed.
"We've done everything to stop the selling of water catchment areas, and have even reported it to the National Police chief, Minister of Defense and Security, and the President ... are they waiting for Puncak to become the next Bahorok?" Habib Ahmad said.
He was referring to the flood on Nov. 2 in North Sumatra province that killed 142 people, with more than 100 people still unaccounted for. Environmental damage is being blamed as the cause of the disaster.
In observance of Environmental Day on Nov. 12, the Bogor administration has launched projects to regreen the resort area which has seen massive development of villas, restaurants and hotels.