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.