JP/7/Polonia

No new airport for Medan

Apriadi Gunawan The Jakarta Post Medan

Authorities in Medan have canceled plans to relocate the Polonia airport to Kuala Namu, some 30 kilometers south of the city due to a land dispute between the Air Force and a legislator.

Zahrin Piliang, chairman of the North Sumatra provincial legislative council's Commission A on legal and administrative affairs, conceded that the cancellation of the airport's relocation had something to do with the land dispute.

"The municipal administration wants the Air Force to settle the land dispute as soon as possible so that they will not be facing legal problems in carrying out the relocation project," he said after presiding over a hearing with the Air Force, the local office of the Agrarian Agency and Aziddin, a member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Wednesday.

The land dispute began as the Air Force allegedly broke its promise to Aziddin for the latter's service to make legal documents for a 300-hectare airbase located adjacent to Polonia airport.

During the hearing, the Air Force denied having made a deal with Aziddin on the land matters while Aziddin asserted that the airbase authorities were promised seven hectares of the land after the certification of the land was completed.

"In this matter, I'm waiting for some fairness and the Air Force's honesty," he said in hearing.

Aziddin, also an influential Muslim figure in the city, called off the business deal when the airbase commandant asked him to seek a public notary to create legal ownership certificates for the more than 300 ha of airbase.

He however said the certificates were produced at the request of former president Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukamana, president of PT Citra Lamtorogung Persada that was eying the land for business.

"Mbak Tutut used her power to appropriate the airbase when she knew about the airport relocation project and asked the Air Force to have a public notary certify the land within two months," he said.

He said that with the initiative of retired marshal S. Tubagus, a former Air Force chief, he was entrusted to make the land's legal documents with a compensation that he would be given 7.8 hectares of the land.

"The Air Force must treat me fairly as I have spent much money to work out the land's certification," he said.

R.E. Purba who represented the Air Force in the hearing, denied that his institution had made a deal with Aziddin.

"The Air Force has never made an agreement with Aziddin in the process of certifying the 302-ha airbase," he said.

After being certified, a portion of the land has been sold at a price of Rp 60 billion to a development company, PT Binareksa Estate Mandiri which has given the land for a legal guarantee for a bank credit.

The municipal administration has bought 1,300 ha of land in Kuala Namu at the price of Rp 144 billion for the airport relocation project while the Air Force has appropriated another 1,000 ha in an adjacent location.

Zahrin said the provincial legislative council would hold another hearing with related sides some time in the near future to help seek a peaceful solution to the dispute.

"Beside helping settle the land dispute, we will hold a hearing with the consortium of companies that wins the bid," he said.

He added the airport relocation project was previously planned to start in early 2002.