Status of land project questioned

Status of land project questioned

MANOKWARI, Irian Jaya: Transmigrants from the Prafi district
are demanding that authorities investigate what they say are
irregularities in the development of 2,155 hectares of
agricultural land.

Work on the Rp 2.3 billion (US$980,000) project allegedly has
been abandoned by the contractors, Firma Bintang Harapan and PT
KIR, and there is no sign the work will resume, Antara reported.

The transmigrants said they filed their complaint with the
Vice President in 1994 via PO Box 5000, an address specially set
up for complaints of corruption.

But, said one farmer, "the governor hasn't done anything to
follow up on the Vice President's order to solve the problem."

Some of the farmers have asked the local prosecutor's office
to investigate the case, he said.

The president director of Firma Bintang Harapan, Steven
Wijaya, denied that his company had abandoned the project, saying
that he had transferred the project to the government.

"The (government's) supervisor of the project has signed the
transfer document. How can they (the farmers) claim that the
project has been abandoned?" he asked. (pan)