Koja resident sues governor over land compensation rate
Koja resident sues governor over land compensation rate
JAKARTA (JP): A resident of North Koja district in North
Jakarta is suing the governor of Jakarta, the North Jakarta mayor
and the state-owned PT Pelindo seaport company for fixing the
compensation for his land prior to consulting him.
In his suit, Saman charged that the governor had failed to
form a land procurement committee as required by a Presidential
decree on land procurement when negotiations to decide the
compensation started. Saman maintains that the committee's
decision on the amount of compensation was arbitrary.
Previously Saman and 50 other residents filed a suit which
they later withdrew.
"I decided to file a suit on my own this time because when we
filed a suit with 50 other people, one by one we had to withdraw
due to intimidation," Saman said, who was secretary of the group
of 50 residents.
The withdrawal, he said, followed a summons from Governor
Surjadi Soedirdja through the assistant of the deputy governor
for development affairs. The governor asked the residents to
discuss the matter.
"But nothing came of the discussion so I decided to once again
file a suit," Saman said.
The North Koja district, located adjacent to the Tanjung Priok
container terminal, has been earmarked as a new cargo terminal
extension site. However, over 9,037 families comprising 37,400
people who live in a 90-hectare area will have to be moved before
construction begins.
The new $498-million terminal, the property of the state-owned
PT Pelindo seaport company and Humpuss Terminal Peti Kemas III, a
company owned by President Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo Mandala
Putera, will begin operating in October 1998.
In general, residents seem willing to leave their land but
they object to the compensation offered by PT Pelindo.
North Jakarta Mayor H. Suprawito, who is also the head of the
North Koja land appropriation committee, has offered Rp 160,000
(US$74) per square meter to the land owners on behalf of the
company.
The offer was rejected by the residents, who demanded Rp 2.27
million per square meter.
The dispute has continued since late last year with most of
the people still refusing the offer.
However, Jurthoni, chief of North Koja district, said that
there is no problem concerning the compensation and that up until
now 2,139 building owners out of 6,500 in Koja subdistrict have
received the compensation.
"The remaining owners occupy the space to be used in the
fourth phase of construction in 1996. We have not asked them to
collect the compensation," Jurthoni told The Jakarta Post
recently.
"It is not true. The problem (of compensation) has not been
solved yet and the residents are still sticking to their original
demand," Saman said, adding that most of people who have
collected the compensation are employees of the municipality or
retired employees of PT Pelindo.
The North Jakarta District Court will begin examining Saman's
suit on Sept. 12. (yns)