Subsidies sought for low-cost housing

JAKARTA (JP): The City Council has urged the City Administration and high-income people to subsidize the public purchase of low-cost apartments to make them more affordable.

Lukman F. Mokoginta, the chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party faction in the city council, said the municipality's campaigns to persuade the public to live in apartments will not reach its target because the public cannot afford them.

The city administration has launched a campaign to encourage people to live in apartments due to the limited availability of land and the program to clear up slum areas in the city.

"Even the low-cost apartments are too expensive for low-income people," Lukman told The Jakarta Post.

However, he added, the high prices are reasonable since it costs a lot to build an apartment. In addition, they're equipped with modern facilities.

Lukman urged the city administration to intensify public campaigns on living in apartments since the majority of people are still unfamiliar with such a lifestyle.

The city administration should draw up a concept to motivate a large number of people, instead of moving people individually, Lukman said.

Besides, apartments should be designed in such a way to accommodate both low-income and high-income people.

Thamrin Djamain, the president of the city-owned PT Pembangunan Sarana Jaya, recently said that the inability of slum dwellers to buy low-cost apartment units has forced the city administration to lease them the apartments.

He said that the number of low-cost apartment units built by the city administration during the period between 1987 and 1994 reached 8,734, and 2,687 units between 1994 and 1995. Another 27,568 units will be built between 1996 and 2,000, he said.

A number of private companies built 6,192 apartment units as well as housing complexes in 1990 and 23,568 in 1991, Djamain said. (32)