Thu, 29 Sep 1994

Koja people will get low cost apartments

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Real Estate Association (REI DKI) announced yesterday that a joint- venture company will build 5,000 low cost apartments in Cilincing, North Jakarta, for Koja residents who must move to make way for the development of a container terminal.

The apartments will be jointly built by PT Pelindo, a state- owned seaport company, and PT Nayaka Realtindo Cakra Sarana Persada, a private developer.

"This is our pilot project to provide proper houses for low income bracket people in the city," Nugroho Suksmanto, chairman of REI DKI, announced.

He explained that the project, which will consist of 25 towers, will be built on 10 hectares of plot of land owned by PT Pelindo. Each tower will have five floors with the ground floors to be used as a shopping center.

"There will be three sizes of apartments -- the 21, 27 and 36 square-meter units and the price will range from Rp 12 million (US$5,500) to Rp 13 million per unit," Suksmanto said, adding that priority to live in the apartment will be given to relocate the residents of North Koja.

A total of 9,037 families who resided on 90 hectares of land in North Koja will give up their land to PT Pelindo.

Suksmanto, however, did not rule out the possibility of outsiders buying the apartments. "We will also give non-Koja residents a chance to buy the apartments," he said.

Next year

When asked when the project, which will begin soon, will be finished, Suksmanto said that it will be finished next year. "We will start the project as soon as possible and hopefully the occupants can move in next July or August," Suksmanto said.

He also explained that REI DKI plans to build another 5,000 low-cost apartments as part of its long-term plan.

"The projects will be built in several locations," Suksmanto said.

Suksmanto also promised that he would encourage members of REI DKI to implement a government regulation requiring property developers to build six low cost houses and three standard houses for each luxury house built.

"This pattern should be implemented by every member of the organization in order to meet the housing demands of low-income people," Suksmanto said.

When asked about the social and public facilities that should be provided by housing developers in the housing complexes they build, Suksmanto said that the organization will penalize its members who violate the regulation.

"We can suspend or discharge them from our organization," Suksmanto explained.

He said that REI DKI has directed its sub-offices in the city's five mayoralties to make an inventory of property developers who have fulfilled their obligations to build social and public facilities. (yns)