Row over disputed plot at BSD goes on

TANGERANG (JP): A dispute over a 2.5-hectare plot of land at Bumi Serpong Damai housing complex continued after the claimant insisted on measuring the land according to his estimates rather than relying on measurements done by the National Land Agency (BPN).

On Friday officers of the Tangerang District Court, who were in charge of measuring the claimant's land, also disregarded a decision taken by the West Java High Court on Wednesday in which it announced a postponement of the clearance of the disputed land.

The disputed plot is claimed by the housing complex and Rusli Wahyudi, a resident of South Jakarta.

The court decided on clearance postponement on the grounds that there was a difference of opinion over the precise location of the disputed land and was aimed at preventing any overlap in clearance implementation, Abdul Kadir, deputy chairman of the high court, said.

However, Ansori Thoyib, a clerk of the Tangerang District Court, said that as the high court's decision was not explicit about the postponement, land clearance would go ahead.

"We will install poles in line with instructions from court officers in charge of the clearance," Ansori said.

Meanwhile, Arief Setyabudi Cany, head of BPN's Tangerang office, said that BPN officers remeasuring the disputed land on Wednesday discovered that demolition work had been undertaken at the wrong site, leading to a clash between security guards and officers of the Tangerang District Court on Dec. 5.

Court request

Arief said the land was remeasured at the request of the district court, in order to verify the exact location of the plot.

The land measuring by court officers on Thursday sparked a heated debate with owners of 68 houses believed to have been located on the disputed land.

"What is the use of BPN remeasuring the land, if its results are turned down by the claimant, who later does his own measurements based on his estimates?" the residents asked.

The residents said the court officers were inconsistent in measuring the land as ordered by the claimant.

The court should coordinate with BPN before measuring the land so as to prevent any unrest among the residents, they said. (41/hhr)