Residents to sue mayor over land

Residents to sue mayor over land

JAKARTA (JP): Residents of the Pesanggrahan district in South Jakarta say they will sue South Jakarta Mayor Pardjoko for imposing land compensation payments without consulting them.

The residents are among 300 families who are affected by an artery road project.

Hadiyanto, a spokesman for the residents of the 01 neighborhood unit, told Antara yesterday that he and his neighbors have agreed not to accept the compensation.

He said the mayor violated a 1993 Presidential Instruction on the mandatory need to consult residents affected by land use for public interests.

"We will file charges against him at the Jakarta State Administrative Court," said Hadiyanto, the head of the Communication Forum to Secure the 1993 Presidential Instruction no. 55, a group set up by the dissatisfied residents.

The committee of land appropriation for the artery road project had invited residents to their meetings twice last November, "but we were only informed, not consulted," Hadiyanto said.

Without consulting residents, he said the mayoralty issued a decree stating compensation would range from Rp 217,000 (US$ 93.37) to Rp 275,000 per square meter, depending on the status of land ownership.

Yesterday the land appropriation committee opened up a booth at the Pesanggrahan subdistrict office, but no residents came, Antara reported. (anr)