Residents and PT Pelindo to meet on Koja land row

Residents and PT Pelindo to meet on Koja land row

JAKARTA (JP): Representatives from the North Koja district
will have their first face-to-face discussion with directors of
the state-owned port company, PT Pelindo, to iron out the planned
acquisition of residential land for a new cargo terminal.

"I met with the director general for state-owned company
affairs and he suggested the two sides meet directly," said Yoyok
Sukarya, a representative of the North Koja residents.

Yoyok told The Jakarta Post that before his meeting at the
Finance Ministry building yesterday, director general Martiono
Hadianto had earlier met with directors of PT Pelindo who
consented to the planned bilateral meeting.

Martiono met with them between eight to 12 o'clock and he met
me after that, Yoyok said.

When asked when the two sides would meet, Yoyok said he
couldn't determine the day but was sure he would meet the
president of PT Pelindo II, Amir Arbani, this week.

"It will probably be within the next couple of days," he
indicated.

The North Koja district, located adjacent to the Tanjung Priok
container terminal, has been earmarked as a new cargo terminal
extension.

However, over 9,000 families comprised of nearly 40,000 people
in a 91-hectare area of land will have to be moved before the
construction work begins.

In general residents seem willing to let go of their land,
however they object to the compensation being offered.

North Jakarta Mayor H. Suprawito, who is also the head of the
North Koja land appropriation committee, has offered a payment of
Rp 160,000 (US$74) per square meter to the land owners on behalf
of PT Pelindo.

The offer was quickly rejected by residents, who demanded a
whopping Rp 2.27 million ($1,049.4) per square meter.

The dispute has continued since late last year and most of the
residents still refused the compensation agreement.

"So far only 27 percent of the residents have accepted the
government's offer," Yoyok revealed, adding that the rest have
resisted.

Rates

Speaking on the compensation rate offered, Yoyok corrected a
widely assumed fallacy that all the residents would receive the
same amount.

"No that's wrong, not everyone will get Rp 160,000 per square
meter. Most of them will only get about Rp 100,000," he remarked.

Apparently only those lodgings located on the main roads such
as Jl. Digul, Pantai Laut, Jember and Donggala, will receive the
Rp 160,000 offer, while residences on smaller streets and alleys
get a mere Rp 100,000.

About 70 percent of North Koja residents live in small streets
and alleyways.

So far both sides remain adamant in maintaining their
respective prices and none seem willing to acquiesce soon.

"There haven't been any developments so far," said another
resident, Soesantomo, in frustration.

Many residents have expressed their disappointment that the
government did not consult land owners before determining the
price set for the land.

According to Yoyok, even the residents' demands for Rp 2.27
million per square meter was not a fixed figure but more of a
benchmark figure based on a more realistic price.

He said that the compensation price should be based on a
combination of the market price and the amount stated in the
value of taxable property (NJOP).(mds)