Residents asked to postpone house demolition

JP/3/DEMOLISH

Residents asked to postpone house demolition

JAKARTA (JP): East Cengkareng residents in West Jakarta want the city administration to postpone a plan to demolish their houses.

The plan will affect 200 people in 33 families living along the Cisadane river. The demolition plan is part of the city administration's clean river program which includes the elimination of illegal homes along river banks.

"The administration set the date for the demolition although we are legal residents and carry legal identity cards," Masri Mansyur, one of the residents, pointed out Wednesday during a meeting with city councilors.

The West Jakarta law and order office sent the demolition notice on April 28. That gave the residents 14 days to evacuate the area and after the deadline the office will forcibly demolish their buildings.

Mansyur said that all of them support the clean river program.

"But we cannot afford to find other shelters due to the very limited time allowed by the administration to evacuate the houses," he explained.

Aware

The residents, who have lived there since 1960, are aware that they occupy state property and they have to leave the area sooner or later.

"That's why we all decided to become members of the Karya Sejahtera cooperative which will provide us with very low-price houses," he said.

Each family has managed to save between Rp 30,000 and Rp 60,000 (US$13.95 and $27.90) per month since November last year through the cooperative, he said, adding that the savings will help them pay the downpayment for a simple house, which is Rp 650,000 ($302.32).

"I hope the West Jakarta mayor will consider our condition, otherwise we will be homeless," he said, adding that the residents hope to have enough money for their new houses by next month.

"If the administration cannot postpone the demolition, we hope it will provide us with temporary shelters while waiting for our houses to be built," he said.

Mansyur also pointed out that the scheduled demolition will cause problems to children, who are still in the final stages of their last term.

The head of the West Jakarta law and order office, H. Karsidin, said he would carry on with the demolition plan unless the mayor decides otherwise.

He said that his office sent the first official announcement for the demolition on April 28, but added that the office could send second and third letters.

"If they are still there after the third letter, the houses will be demolished by our team," he said. (05)