Lack of data hinders resettlement program

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)