S. Jakarta people seek adequate land payment

S. Jakarta people seek adequate land payment

JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta residents whose land will be
affected by the Jl. TB. Simatupang outer ring road extension are
asking for reasonable compensation.

"We support the project, but we also ask that compensation be
paid based on the market price, not on government estimates as
stated on property tax forms," said Tukimin, who is the head of a
neighborhood in Bintaro Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta.

Tukimin, a retired sergeant major, said yesterday that land
prices in his area range between Rp 325,000 (US$149.9) and Rp
335,000 ($154.5) per square meter, depending on the distance from
the road.

He said that there are 20 families in his neighborhood whose
land will be appropriated by the government for the project.

Suwardi, another community chief, said the project will affect
nine families living on 4,119 square meters of land in his area.

"We don't have a problem with the plan as long as we receive
proper compensation," he explained.

Suwardi and Tukimin said that they were informed about the
appropriation plan at a meeting attended by officers from the
Agency for the Coordination of Support of National Security, the
National Land Agency, the Public Works Ministry and district and
subdistrict offices.

Idon Didi Suwandi, who owns a 1,200-square-meter plot along
Jl. Ciputat Raya in Pondok Pinang, said that all of his property
will be affected by the project.

"I hope the government will base compensation on the market
price. If they cannot, I hope the payment is at least based on
the standard value of taxable property," he said.

The value of taxable property (NJOP) is the selling value of a
plot or property stated on the property tax form.

Idon said that base on the NJOP standard, his land is priced
at Rp 900,000 ($415) per square meter.

"But according to the market price my land is worth Rp 2
million ($922) per square meter," he said.

The Jl. TB. Simatupang extension will cover 630,000 square
meters of land in Pondok Pinang, Bintaro, Ulujami, Petukangan
Utara and Petukangan Selatan.

M. Yanis, a spokesman for the South Jakarta mayoralty, told
The Jakarta Post last week that the city administration has
listed all the plots and properties to be affected by the seven-
kilometer extension.

The outer ring road will be constructed by the Ministry of
Public Works and is financed by the World Bank through the
Jakarta Urban Development Program. (03)