Residents object to landfill project

BEKASI (JP): Twenty-six families in Bekasi, West Java, have objected to a landfill project which is blocking the roads to and from their neighborhood.

Tampubolon and Situmorang, spokesmen for the families, told The Jakarta Post yesterday that the residents can no longer come and go from their neighborhood with ease because three-meter-high piles of soil are blocking the roads.

School children have to either climb over the piles of soil or take longer routes to school, they added.

The developer, PT Kemang Pratama, never consulted the families about the noisy and dusty landfilling activities, they said.

The developer was not available for comment yesterday.

The Bekasi administration has criticized the project, calling on the developer to cease the activities pending negotiations with the residents.

Atang Sudjana, head of the Bekasi Regency Information Office, said that the developer should have informed the residents about the project before commencing it, Kompas reported yesterday.

"Don't terrorize the residents," he said, adding that negotiations with the residents would help to calm down the situation. (12)