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.