Military to help delyed project

JAKARTA (JP): The Bekasi regent has asked intelligence officials to help end a seven-year delay of an industrial estate project, a Jakarta Military Command officer said yesterday.

Officials of the Jakarta's Agency for the Coordinating of Support for National Stability would meet the companies which acted as mediators in the project's land appropriation deals, the head of the Command's legal division, Col. Sugeng Widodo, said.

The estate in Cibitung, East Bekasi, is to be called the MM- 2100. The delay was because residents refused to leave their land because compensation agreements were violated.

Antara quoted Sugeng as saying a bank and private company PT KTP had "breached promises to residents".

Dozens of families had filed complaints to the regent's office, Sugeng said.

"Early next year the managements of the mediating firms will be summoned by the agency," Sugeng said.

The industrial estate will cover the Jatiwangi and Danau Indah subdistricts, where more than 900 families live.

Danau Indah subdistrict head HM Lanin said many families had sold their land.

They were promised other sites as compensation for the parts of plots which were not bought for the project, but residents said this promise was broken.

One resident said he sold 1,227 hectares for Rp 33,000 per square meter but only got Rp 30,000 per square meter for 1,027 hectares.

And the land appropriation firms have not provided the 200 hectares at another site as promised, the resident said.

The resident was also promised the rest of the payment for the land and a house to replace the one he left.

Residents were told compensation obligations would be fulfilled by February this year.

The promises have not been fulfilled.

Lanin said many families insisted on staying until the promises were realized but some had given up and left. (anr)