Two developers violate productive land rules

JAKARTA (JP): Two developers have built housing complexes on productive land in the Tangerang mayoralty in violation of a 1990 presidential decree, a media report said yesterday.

Antara said the housing complexes built on productive land were Bandara Mas in Selapajang subdistrict near Soekarno-Hatta Airport and Bumi Kedaung Indah in Batuceper district.

Tangerang regency secretary Agus Burhanudin confirmed the reports but refused to comment on why building permits were issued to the developers.

"I know for sure that Bandara Mas is on such land and I will have to check if Kedaung Indah also stands on farmland," Agus said.

Presidential Decree No. 33 of 1990 bans construction on productive land with the aim of guaranteeing adequate food supplies in a region.

The two housing complexes occupy agricultural land which was supplied water via the North Cisadene primary irrigation canal. The area is acclaimed for its fertile land which can produce up to five tons of unhusked rice per hectare per harvest.

Farmers in the area harvest rice twice a year and irrigation is generally enough throughout the year, residents say.

PT Bintang Artha Unggul Nugraha, which built Bandara Mas housing complex, has agreed to pay fees to the Tangerang mayoralty in compensation for the land.

Antara reported that the West Java provincial public works office once refused requests for permits to build on the productive area.

The project went ahead after the developers bought land from individual farmers. Irrigation ditches were filled in with soil and houses were built on the fertile land.

Tangerang Mayor Djakaria Machmud has asked the developers to let local farmers plant crops on unused parts of the acquired land during the economic crisis.

The administration has guaranteed the companies would retain the 32 plots after the crisis ends. (pan)