Port attracts land speculators

Port attracts land speculators

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Serang

As the construction project of Bojonegara International Port
(BIP) in Serang, Banten province, has started, a local non-
governmental organization suspects that it has attracted land
speculators who expect huge profits should the port operator
expand the site.

The suspicion rose after the Serang administration revealed
that many Jakarta businesspeople had bought hectares of land next
to the site for their companies' expansion.

"If those businessmen were serious in expanding business here
then they should have started construction activities.

"But for months all we see are idle plots of land," West
Serang Community Forum (Formaseb) chairman Sanwani said on
Thursday.

He added that based on an investigation, Formaseb found that
the businesspeople actually intended to resell the properties for
higher prices after they had obtained rights to build and use a
building in Bojonegara.

"Therefore, we urge the Serang regency administration to
scrutinize those coming to apply for the permits," Sanwani said.

Formaseb also criticized the administration's policy to hand
out permits to reclaim the sea for investors who intended to
build hotels, restaurants and commercial buildings along
Bojonegara coastline.

"We found that the investors obtained the permits even though
they don't have the required environmental impact analyses as
stipulated in Bylaw No. 17/2001 on beaches and riverbanks,"
Sanwani said.

Responding to the complaints, Serang regent Taufik Nuriman
said that the land-use and reclamation permits were issued by his
predecessor.

"It would not have happened if I was the regent at the time.
However, I will assign some officials to study the matter soon,"
he said.

The newly elected regent replaced former regent Bunyamin in
July.

The port will occupy 455 hectares of coastal land in the Pule
Ample district.

Designed by the central government, the port is expected to
support the Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta and to boost
economic growth in the province.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the BIP project was
officiated by then president Megawati Soekarnoputri in 2003.
State port operator PT Pelindo had begun to reclaim 700 hectares
of the area for a container port while the construction of
another 335 hectares for industrial plants and trading activity
had been planned to start in 2010.