Residents asked to postpone house demolition
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)