Tangerang plans more low-cost houses

TANGERANG (JP): A total of 5,000 low-cost houses will be built in stages at Cempaka and Bojongloa villages in the Tangerang district of Cisoka.

Zuhaedi, executive director of PT Jalur Mustika Mandiri (JMM) which is in charge of the project, said yesterday that in the first stage the construction of 250 houses is expected to be completed next April, another 500 in the second stage, 1,000 in the third, with the remainder in the fourth stage due for completion in November, 1996.

Zuhaedi said that the low-cost houses to be built consist of the standard 21 and 36 square-meter types. He said that the construction will cover an area of 70 hectares.

The head of the Cisoka district, H. Benyamin Davnie said the housing construction in his jurisdiction is appropriate because Cisoka is designed to be a residential area.

Nevertheless, he added that the developer should appropriate the land according to legal procedures. "This is imperative to prevent any future disputes between the developer and locals," Davnie staid.

However a dispute actually happened before Davnie made this statement. Several villagers of Cempaka and Bojongloa have been uneasy because of the developer's unpunctual payments for their land. JMM promised to pay Rp 3,500 to Rp 8,000 per square meter to the land owners.

Zuhaedi admitted that his company was late in paying the compensation. "This happened because the Tangerang regency administration delayed issuing our building permit," he defended.

"JMM had actually filed an application for the permit last April but the permit was only issued in September," he added. (13/23)