Land appropriation to be checked

Land appropriation to be checked

JAKARTA (JP): Deputy Governor Idroes said on Wednesday that he will check reports of improper land appropriation by a developer in Kebayoran Lama Selatan subdistrict, South Jakarta.

"I will ask the City Planning Office about the matter, and take action against the developer if found guilty of violating the regulation by appropriating the wrong locations," Idroes said.

He reiterated that the city administration will not hesitate in taking stern measures against any company failing to abide by the laws.

PT AW, a private developer, was issued a permit to appropriate and use 94,650 square meters of land in Kebayoran Lama Selatan subdistrict, South Jakarta, for the construction of apartment and shopping mall projects.

But the developer is reportedly appropriating about seven hectares of land in Kebayoran Lama Utara subdistrict and has done nothing at the proposed project site.

Ashari, a staff member of Kebayoran Lama Utara subdistrict office, confirmed the appropriation of seven hectares of land, consisting of two neighborhood communities in the subdistrict.

"The developer paid Rp 600,000 (US$272) per square meter to appropriate the land," Ashari said.

Meanwhile, secretary of Kebayoran Lama Selatan subdistrict Ishak Firdaus said that to date there has been no sign of when the land for the proposed projects will be appropriated. "There is no plan yet to build the apartments or shopping mall," he said.

South Jakarta Mayor Pardjoko told reporters on Wednesday that the details of the problem must first be looked into, whether there is a typing error in the permit or if it is a case of mistaken location on the developer's part.

"The mayoralty cannot do anything about the matter because the permit was issued by city hall, while the residents whose lands have been appropriated have not filed any complaints," he said.

He explained that based on the permit, the developer is allowed to negotiate compensation with the residents and the mayoralty can only interfere if there is a dispute or the residents complain about the compensation.

"On the other hand, there is a trend in society in which they happily accept the compensation because it is giving them advantages. Why should the mayoralty interfere if all parties are happy with the deal?" Pardjoko asked. (yns)