Toll road developer says ready to pay

Toll road developer says ready to pay

Wahyuana, The Jakarta Post, Bekasi

Following residents' protests against the Jakarta Outer Ring Road
(JORR) project over the price of acquired land, the managing
director of developer PT Jasa Marga Syarifuddin Alambai asserted
that the company had no problem about paying.

"We have prepared the money for the land owners ... but we
have to delay the payment pending a decree from the minister of
public works on land acquisition," he told a press conference on
Saturday.

According to the law, the central government, in this case the
minister of public works, is responsible for land acquisition in
the toll road project, while Jasa Marga handles the construction
and financial matters.

"We have written to the ministry several times asking the
office to expedite the paperwork, but we haven't received an
answer," Alambai added.

Residents of Pondok Melati, Bekasi, staged a protest on
Thursday against the project. They said they had agreed to give
up their houses and land for Rp 1.1 million a square meter, but
the developer refused to pay them.

The angry residents said they would give Jasa Marga two weeks
to pay, or they would destroy the toll road now under
construction.

Alambai emphasized that the big project, which will
significantly ease chronic traffic congestion in Greater Jakarta,
is expected to be completed by November and that it was one of
the priority projects in the 100-day campaign of President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono.

"We have to cover all extra expenses caused by the delayed
project ... so I plead with the residents not to destroy the toll
road," he said.