Residents upset over power cut

JAKARTA: Residents of a low-cost apartment building Penjaringan I in North Jakarta, demanded on Wednesday that state power company PT PLN turn on the electricity to their homes, after it was shut off at 9 a.m. due to arrears dating back to 2002.

The residents claimed that they had no idea that the bills to PLN were not being paid.

Since 1987, the government has subsidized the use of electricity up to 220 watts for each unit in the building.

However, as the power usage in the apartment had been upgraded to 450 watts in 1997, the residents were obliged to pay for the remaining power used, and the payment had been integrated into the monthly rental payments, the residents explained.

Community figure Niman said that since 2002, the residents had paid their electricity bills to the apartment management company PD Sarana Jaya.

As of late Wednesday, the power was still off, even though the residents had promised PLN that they would pay the arrears in installments. -- JP