Irregularities in Bidaracina land compensation questioned

JAKARTA (JP): The City Council is questioning the East Jakarta mayoralty administration over the alleged irregularities in the payment of compensation to residents of Bidaracina whose land will be used to make way for development of low-cost apartment buildings.

The council's Commission A on administrative affairs posed the question during a closed-door meeting with the mayoralty officials at the City Council building Wednesday.

"They were not prepared to answer our questions at the meeting, but promised to give detailed explanations to us next week," Edi Sukiswantari Probo, a member of Commission A said.

The meeting was held as a follow up of a visit of a 13-man delegation to the council on June 13. The delegation claimed to represent Bidaracina residents whose land will be used to pave way for the development of apartment buildings in Bidaracina.

Yun Bustomi, a spokesman for the delegation, said the amount of the compensation set by the mayoralty land acquisition committee was too low, not based on the market prices.

"The amount of the compensation was determined by the committee unilaterally, not based on the fair market value," Bustomi said.

The land acquisition committee has set the amount of compensation ranging from Rp 243,000 (US$112.65) to Rp 614,000 ($284.65) per square meter.

Edi, another area resident, said 80 heads of households refused to accept the compensation offered by the committee because the amount was half of that given to their neighbors who lived next door.

"We were offered only Rp 350,000 per square meter while all our neighbors were given Rp 641,000 per square meter," Edi said.(arf)