Sawah Besar residents want higher land compensation

JAKARTA (JP): Residents of the Sawah Besar district in Central Jakarta asked the city council Tuesday for higher compensation for land appropriated for a planned river widening project.

The project in the Gunung Sahari Utara subdistrict is to improve river flow. Around 90 homes on Jl. Rajawali Selatan will be demolished to make way for the project.

Five delegates from 15 families said 80 residents accepted compensation of Rp 105,000 per square meter in November. But they claim the 80 were intimidated into accepting it by village authorities. And these residents did not have ownership documents, a spokesman said.

Sacanuddin, the spokesmen, told the Indonesian Democratic Party faction the mayoralty had offered compensation of Rp 105,000 per square meter of land.

He told councilor Romulus S. Sihombing the local price was Rp 1.4 million per square meter while buildings were Rp 225,000 per square meter.

"It would be inhumane if the mayoralty offered that low price," said Sacanuddin who owns a building materials shop in the area.

He said three of the residents had building permits issued in 1964.

Sacanuddin said the mayoralty should have followed the 1993 Presidential Decree on land appropriation for public facilities.

It says appropriation for public facilities should be negotiated between land owners and the government office needing the land.

Burning, the mayoralty official in charge of the project, said the people had no rights to the land. He told The Jakarta Post compensation would not be increased because the plot was a city asset.

Burning also said the office had held 'an agreement' involving residents and village authorities to determine the amount. (11)