Teluk Naga developer pledges to help locals

JAKARTA (JP): The management of the Salim Group of companies has been quoted as saying that it will place the local people's needs before the group's business interests in carrying out its Teluk Naga project in Tangerang.

A statement released yesterday by the Indonesian Environmental Development Organization (BLHI) quoted representatives of the Salim Group, which is now developing a large housing complex in Teluk Naga, as saying that the project is being carried out for the benefit of the local community.

The BLHI said that the Salim Group's director, Anthony Salim, told the organization at a recent meeting that the company would do its best to pay fair compensation for land appropriated from local people and would try to provide job opportunities for them.

The Teluk Naga residential and commercial complex, located 26 km west of here, is being developed jointly by the West Java provincial administration, the Salim Group and several other developers. The project was approved by President Soeharto in August.

The plan includes the reclamation of 4,000 hectares of the Teluk Naga shoreline and 2,500 ha of swamp land. The appropriation of 13 villages and surrounding rice fields will affect an estimated 72,000 people.

The complex will include apartments, shopping malls, recreational attractions, a fishermen's village and low-cost housing facilities. It is expected to be completed in 2015.

According to reports seven developers have been recommended by West Java authorities for participation in the project.

The governor of West Java said last month that the project was aimed mainly at restructuring coastal development to bring into line with the rapid growth in Greater Jakarta, which includes Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi.

Last month, the Environmental Impact Agency reminded developers not to break environmental rules and that construction should only start after the project's environmental impact study had been approved.

The BLHI said it expected the Salim Group would honor its assertions about the project. The statement, which was signed by BLHI chairman Agus Miftach, said the success of the project depends on the ability of the Salim Group to anticipate the ecological, social and economic demands which will be generated by the development.

The BLHI said the carrying out of the project should help to reduce poverty in the area, "not the other way around." (03)