Mayor strikes back in land dispute

Mayor strikes back in land dispute

JAKARTA (JP): North Jakarta mayor Soeprawito says he will file a counter-lawsuit against Hasan Saman and several other residents of the Koja Utara district who, he claims, have persuaded fellow residents to reject the sum of money offered by the mayoralty by way of land compensation.

The land was appropriated to make way for the construction of a terminal for shipping containers.

Last January Hasan and others filed a lawsuit against the mayoralty alleging that the amount offered to the dispossessed residents by the mayoralty was so small as to be unfair.

"We will no longer hold negotiations over the land compensation with Hasan and company," Soeprawito told Antara.

He said that if the residents were still refusing to accept the amount of the compensation offered by the deadline set, he would entrust the money to the North Jakarta court.

The dispute arose after PT Pelindo II announced in 1993 it would appropriate 90 hectares of land inhabited by about 9,000 families, totaling more than 40,000 people, for the construction of the terminal in cooperation with the mayoralty.

The local residents have been adamant in their demand that the rate of compensation be Rp 2.27 million (US$1,000) per square meter.

After a number of sessions failed to produce agreement, Soeprawito acted to break the deadlock by offering between Rp 100,000 (US$45.50) and Rp 160,000 per square meter, a rate Rp 10,000 higher than that originally offered by PT Pelindo II. The offer was, however, rejected by the residents. (bas)