Low-cost apartments for Muara Angke fishermen

Low-cost apartments for Muara Angke fishermen

JAKARTA (JP): The Gotong Royong Fund Foundation, chaired by First Lady Tien Soeharto, will donate Rp 1 billion (US$434,971) for the construction of 80 low-cost apartments in Muara Angke fishing village, North Jakarta, Deputy Governor for People's Welfare R. S. Museno said.

"Only fishermen will be entitled to the apartments and they can pay them on an installment basis," Museno said when accompanying Minister of Social Services Endang Kusuma Inten Suweno on a visit to the village on Tuesday.

He explained that the price of an apartment is Rp 13.5 million and fishermen will only have to pay Rp 80,000 per month for 15 years.

Museno said the development of the apartments is aimed at improving the fishermen's welfare. The administration will build five blocks of two-story buildings, with each block containing 16 apartments of 21 square-meters each.

He said that the construction of the apartments is scheduled to be completed in August this year in conjunction with the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Indonesia's independence.

Minister Inten asked city administration to anticipate a possibility that the apartments will be bought by other people, who have no rights to stay there.

Museno explained that the two-story apartment buildings, which will provide fishermen with housing, is part of a project to organize the fishing village in Muara Angke, North Jakarta.

Currently there are 936 houses in the village, which were built in five phases. The first phase in 1977, 540 houses were built; the second phase in 1988, 203 houses were built; the third phase in 1990, 38 houses were built; the fourth phase was in 1992, 135 houses were built and the fifth phase in 1994, 20 houses were built.

He explained that city administration has allocated approximately 14 hectares from 20 hectares of land available in the village for the construction of the low-cost apartments.

The administration has also provided social and public facilities such as a bus terminal, a movie theater, sports field, mosque as well as a fish auction center.

Minister Inten asked residents of the village to increase their efforts to keep their neighborhood clean. (yns)