Lack of data hinders resettlement program

JAKARTA (JP): A lack of information on city-owned land and a shortage of funds have hampered programs to resettle people living along riverbanks, a housing agency official said Thursday.

Nusmardi, who is in charge of cheap apartments, said his office could not build cheap apartments on individuals' or private firms' land.

"Using the property of private firms or individuals for this purpose would be too costly. The only land feasible for resettling people is city-owned land," he said.

But he said his office did not have enough accurate information on how much land the city owned or where it was located.

"We hope to build better coordination with the National Land Agency to get the data," he said.

Nusmardi did not say how his office had been getting information from the Land Agency so far.

"If we had accurate and adequate information on city-owned land we could resettle more riverbank squatters in new cheap apartments," he said.

This year the housing agency will resettle about 600 families in Bidara Cina and Kebon Baru in cheap apartments.

"It's quite successful. Previously, it was hard work coaxing them to live in apartments, now we have our hands full of requests," he said.

The 600 families live in East and South Jakarta subdistricts along 800 meters of the Ciliwung river's banks.

The land for the seven apartments, launched by President Soeharto in March 1995, was formerly a defunct river.

The resettlement project was a pilot project.

Nusmardi was talking about this year's 11 agency projects which involve resettling people who live on riverbanks.

He said there were about 5,000 homeless families in the city but there could be more because riverbank residents might not be included in this figure.

Earlier Ministry of Public Works Director General of Water Resources Soeparmono said he hoped the city could remove the 5,000 shacks on riverbanks.

The shanties from Muara Angke, North Jakarta, to Karet, South Jakarta, were hindering a flood control program, he said.

Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, a lawyer who has handled several land disputes, said earlier the city's lack of data on property ownership was a major constraint to housing poor people.

National Land Agency city office officials were unavailable for comment yesterday.

Nusmardi was also talking about the city's 1997/1998 budget Governor Surjadi Soedirdja announced Wednesday.

Housing was allocated Rp 227.06 billion (US$94.9 million) out of the Rp 1.39 trillion for development programs, making it one of the biggest funded sectors.

Nusmardi said the housing agency's 11 projects got Rp 95.2 billion.

Besides the river resettlement program other projects included the Rp 63 billion plan to build cheap apartments.

Fire victims in Karet Tengsin, South Jakarta, will have priority access to these apartments. (anr)