Residents demand rise in land compensation
Residents demand rise in land compensation
JAKARTA (JP): Bidaracina subdistrict residents in East Jakarta
complained to the City Council yesterday over the size of
compensation given them for their land, which the government
wants for an apartment project.
The residents, represented by 13 people, told members of the
City Council's commission A on agrarian affairs that the East
Jakarta authorities had not discussed the compensation with them.
"They only invited us to a meeting where they told us the
amount we would receive," said Yun Bustomi, spokesman of the
delegates.
He added that the residents inherited the land from their
parents, who had lived their for generations, and that the
current residents "are the fourth generation."
According to Yun, the amount offered for the 12,000 square
meters of land they occupy is based on a government-set value and
not the fair market value.
The government has set three scales of value for the land. In
the first, owners of land with a sales value of not more than Rp
243,000 (US$112.65) per square meter will receive Rp 350,000
($162.26) per square meter. In the second, those whose land sales
value is not more than Rp 285,000 ($132.12) per square meter will
receive Rp 350,000 ($162.26) per square meter in compensation,
while under the third category people whose land sales value is
not more than Rp 614,000 ($284.65) per square meter will also
receive Rp614,000 per square meter.
Yun said that the land is undervalued and the compensation is
unacceptable as the residents own girik traditional land
documents.
"We demand Rp 1.5 million ($695.41) per square meter in
compensation," he said.
However, Yun stressed that they will ask for a different,
higher amount of compensation if the apartment project belongs to
a private company.
He said that neither he nor the other residents are interested
in living in apartments, adding that apartment living is costly
and unsuitable for indigenous "Betawi" people like them.
Dispute
Yun explained that the dispute over the compensation began
when a number of officials from the East Jakarta mayoralty office
came on April 18 to brief the residents about the apartment plan.
"At the end of the briefing we asked the officials to show us
the gubernatorial decree on the land use in our area. Since they
could not show the document, we refused to allow the mayoralty's
officers to measure our land," Yun said.
Two days after the briefing, the deputy of the district head
told the residents that the land prices would not be based on the
government's standard for sales value. He also said the amount
was still negotiable.
However, on May 2, Andi Mappaganti, assistant to the East
Jakarta mayor, announced that the compensation would be based on
the government sales value. Andi's announcement led the residents
to the City Council.
Councilor H.M. Banang of the United Development Party faction
who led the meeting said that the commission would consult the
parties involved to solve the matter immediately.(03)