Interference in land disputes criticized
JAKARTA (JP): A city council commission criticized the Central Jakarta mayor for having issued orders to demolish 40 houses in Kebon Kacang, whose owners were disputing the matter with a private company.
The deputy chairman of the council's commission A for government affairs, Fatommy Ansaari, said yesterday that the mayor had gone too far with such obviously one-sided interference.
Fatommy said that according to regulations, mayoralty offices are not allowed to issue orders to satisfy private interests.
"The mayor has acted against the law. Demolition orders can only be issued to support government projects such as the clean river program," Fatommy said.
He made the remark to representatives of the 19 families in Jl. Kebon Kacang, Central Jakarta who have filed a complaint over the demolition plan.
The families' houses and one mosque stand on a plot of about 2,000 square meters.
The mayor's intervention in their negotiations with the private developer, PT Asia Troika, was not legitimate, they argued. He even set a price for their land together with the demolition orders.
The developer wants to build offices and a luxury apartment in the area.
Spokesman for the residents Budi Santoso said that the demolition orders also stated that the residents must accept the price offered by the company.
"This is not fair, we're not dealing with the mayor, but with a private company, and we demand a fair price for our land," Budi said.
The residents are demanding Rp 5 million (US$2,173) for every square-meter for the certified land and Rp 4 million per square- meter for uncertified plot.
The developer is only willing to pay Rp 2.5 million per square meter for certified, and Rp 2.25 million for non-certified land.
"The price was offered by the company in our last meeting with the company last year, we rejected it, and out of the blue the mayoralty sent these demolition orders," Budi said.
Orders
He explained that the mayoralty had issued three demolition orders since April. The latest, last week, ordered the residents to demolish their houses within 24 hours.
Councilor Fatommy said the commission will summon the mayor to discuss the matter.
A copy of the first demolition order stipulates that the residents must demolish their houses and collect the compensation at Kebon Kacang subdistrict office because the private company plans to build public facilities such as roads. The commission has also received a complaint filed by residents of Kebagusan subdistrict in South Jakarta over a dispute with a private company.
The residents complained that the company, PT Loka Indah Mampang Realty, had raised its land three meters above the residents' houses.
As a result their houses are now prone to flooding, the residents said.
Fatommy promised that the commission would summon the company to settle the matter, stressing that the project was built in a water catchment area. (yns)