Residents near dump get insurance

BEKASI: Deputy mayor Mochtar Mohamad said on Monday the municipality administration was providing life insurance for at least 5,163 residents of the villages of Ciketing Udik, Cikiwul and Sumur Batu, all of which are near the Bantar Gebang dump.

The insurance program is being run in collaboration with state traffic insurance company PT Jasa Raharja.

"The administration will finance all costs of the scheme," Mochtar was quoted as saying by Antara.

He said the administration was also cooperating with Bank Jabar to provide funding for 200 residents from the three villages who want to work as ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers.

Earlier this month, Mochtar awarded scholarships to students of poor families during an event attended by President Megawati Soekarnoputri's husband Taufik Kiemas.

Some Bekasi councillors and the local Elections Supervisory Committee hinted that the event was an early campaign appearance for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, which Taufik and Mochtar both belong to. -- JP