Medanese urged to sacrifice

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Medan Mayor Bahtiar Djafar urged residents in the sprawling city to be prepared to sacrifice for the sake of the city's development.

The municipality cannot turn Medan into a metropolitan city if residents are making unreasonable compensation demands for land acquired to make way for roads or other infrastructures, Bahtiar told a seminar on the city's development on Tuesday, according to Antara.

He said the municipality, which is working on a tight budget, will be prepared to pay up to 15 percent of the going price, but not more.

He said the people must be willing to sacrifice because the projects are for the public good.

The mayor said the majority of people in Medan whose lands are affected by municipal projects have shown understanding. This is their contribution to the city's development. (emb)