Sidareja residents refuse relocated

Sidareja residents refuse relocated

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Cilacap, Central Java

A majority of the residents of flood-prone Sidareja district,
Cilacap regency, Central Java are against government plans to
relocate them to a safer area in Kunci village over fears that
they will not be able to pursue their businesses in the new area.

"Besides, they (the residents) are worried about their future
there and are still not clear who would pay for the construction
of their new houses in the relocation area," Sidareja subdistrict
office staff Topan, 45, told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Topan said Kunci village was located just three kilometers
away from Sidareja but it is an isolated place with no
communication infrastructure.

The Cilacap regency administration floated the relocation plan
in 2000 because Sidareja is one of the flood-prone areas in the
regency.

But since the idea was discussed in 2000, Sidareja residents
have expressed strong opposition.

Ahmad Ali, 50, a resident of Sidareja district, for example,
told the Post on Monday that Sidareja residents have learned to
accept floods and don't want to be relocated to Kunci village.

"If we move to Kunci village, what business can we engage in?
If we put up a warung (sidewalk eatery), will we make any
profit?," Ahmad wondered, adding that Sidareja was ideal for
business since it is situated near the Pangandaran beach resort
area and Bandung, the provincial capital of West Java.

Kunci, Ahmad said, is a small isolated village with little
communication infrastructure.

Cilacap Regency Public Relations Head Aris Riyanto said the
Cilacap administration is still trying to push the plan on local
residents so that they can see the benefits of relocating to
flood-free Kunci village.

"Perhaps the residents of Sidaraja still do not understand the
purpose of the relocation move. That is why we can understand
their objection to the plan," Aris told the Post.

He said the Cilacap administration had not yet finalized the
relocation plan however.

"The relocation plan is being seriously deliberated, all
quarters in the society, including local legislative members,
will participate in the discussions so that we can find the best
solution together," he said.

Aris also said that local government officials are still
discussing who would pay for the construction of new houses in
Kunci.

"But perhaps we have alternatives. The local administration
has tried to approach several developers to build housing
complexes there, but to this point none of them have responded to
the invitation," Aris said.

"What the local administration has been thinking of is that
the residents would be given facilities so that they can buy the
houses with very low monthly installments," he said.

Meanwhile, chairman of Cilacap House of Representatives (DPRD)
Fran Lukman said that local lawmakers would review the relocation
plan.

"In principle, the relocation plan should help improve the
people's welfare, but if it (relocation) makes the people suffer,
the plan should be abandoned," he said.

Fran said the local government has not discussed the issue
with lawmakers.

"We will discuss it again and if the plan is already
definitive, we will make it very clear to the people so that they
are not confused," he said.

Aris said the relocation plan is already definitive and the
local government is now preparing a new district office in Kunci
village.

"The government will also build a bus terminal, a public
market and a public health center," he told the Post.