Kedoya Utara residents sue West Jakarta mayor
Kedoya Utara residents sue West Jakarta mayor
JAKARTA (JP): As many as 120 residents of Kedoya Utara, West Jakarta have filed a lawsuit with the Jakarta State Administrative Court against Mayor Sutardjianto over the demolition of their shanties.
Court's secretary Moegiyono confirmed yesterday that he had received the residents' lawsuit. "We just received the lawsuit on Friday afternoon. We need time to correct it," he said.
The residents are represented by the Legal Aid Institute.
Iriyanto Subiyanto, spokesman for the Legal Aid Institute, told The Jakarta Post yesterday that residents of Kedoya Utara said that the mayor never told the residents about the demolition plan.
West Jakarta authorities demolished 667 houses in Kedoya Utara and Kembangan shantytowns early this month. More than 1,000 families are now homeless.
The demolition is part of the city's program to make rivers clean. The program is locally called Prokasih.
The residents denied being illegal occupants, or squatters, Iriyanto said. "The residents bought the land in Kedoya Utara some years ago. They have ID cards and pay property tax," he said. But the lawyer acknowledged that the land belongs to the state. There was no information as to from whom and how the residents bought the plots.
He said that each resident is demanding Rp 5 million in compensation for their property and belongings.
The West Jakarta mayoralty said yesterday they are ready to face the residents in the State Administrative Court. The mayoralty secretary, Solichin D.J. said yesterday that what the mayoralty had done was in line with regulations.
Solichin said the mayoralty would give between Rp 50,000 and Rp 250,000 in transportation fees to each family.
"Giving that much money is the best thing the mayoralty can do. The shantytown residents have no rights to demand compensation," he said.
He said the money would not be given directly to the squatters. Instead the subdistrict chief will give the money to the drivers of vehicles the squatters rent to transport their belongings.
Solichin claimed that around 200 families have accepted the mayoralty's offer and have moved to other locations.
Solichin said that the city administration plans to use the former shantytown area, a 3.6 hectare area, as a green belt. The city administration will plant thousands of trees on the area.
Some of the disgruntled residents went to the city council, asking the councilors to visit the demolition sites.
"We have been living in makeshift tents and mosques," Djumhari, one of the resident, told the councilors yesterday. (29/yns)