Residents hit by trees to receive compensation

JAKARTA (JP): Residents who are injured by felled trees will receive compensation from city-owned insurance firm PT Askrida, City Parks Agency head Dadang Ruskandar said on Monday.

"We are now preparing a bylaw on the matter. We hope it will be approved by the City Council next year," Dadang said at the City Hall.

He said the bylaw would also stipulate fines for residents who cut down trees, even trees on their own land, without the agency's permission.

He said the ages and sizes of trees which could not be cut would be outlined in the bylaw, and also the sanctions for any violations.

"We are still discussing the amount of the compensation and the ages and the diameters of the trees," he said.

Dadang acknowledged that the bylaw was part of efforts to protect trees, particularly larger and older ones, in the city from being cut down by their owners.

He said his agency had identified 12 old trees about two meters in diameter each, and the parties who were responsible for the trees.

"We just refused a proposal from an owner to cut down a tree in Menteng, Central Jakarta," Dadang said.

Last year, the Central Jakarta Mayoralty threatened to sue the central bank for cutting down a large tree next to the bank headquarters on Jl. Budi Kemuliaan.

The dispute reportedly was settled amicably when the bank paid compensation for the tree and planted another large tree in its place.

Dadang said the city administration, which currently oversees 4.5 million trees, hoped the bylaw would encourage a growth in the number of trees in the city. He said the target was 10.5 million trees by 2007.

"Actually we were earlier targeting 10.5 million trees in the city by 2010, but Governor Sutiyoso asked us to speed up the target date to 2007," he said.

The 4.5 million trees currently found in the city stand on 177.29 square kilometers of the city's green areas, or 6.5 percent of the total area of Jakarta.

The administration plans to build more public parks to expand the green areas to 13 percent of the area of the city by 2007.

Jakarta used to be home to 529 parks, but some 270 of them were converted to serve other functions, such as gas stations, community centers and police posts.

Dadang said on Monday his agency would hold an exhibition on Indonesian flora and fauna 2001 in Banteng field, Central Jakarta, from Aug. 3 to Aug. 20.

He said the exhibition, to be officially opened by Sutiyoso, would feature 250 participants. (jun)