Victims of Kelapa Gading fire return from hometowns

Victims of Kelapa Gading fire return from hometowns

JAKARTA (JP): Residents of the Kelapa Gading district in
North Jakarta returned yesterday from their hometowns to the
gutted remains of their homes and belongings.

Some knew about Thursday's fire from television but others had
believed the reports were about the Feb. 9 fire in the
neighboring area along the same road, also in the Pegangsaan Dua
subdistrict.

"I thought the security guard (of the nearby housing complex)
was joking," said Fatmawati, a young attendant at a garment shop
in the ITC Mangga Dua shopping center. She and her husband who
had just built a home on Jl. Pegangsaan II, had returned from
Magelang, Central Java.

Geno Suwarto had gone to Cilacap where he spent less than six
hours there before returning to Jakarta in response to a
telephone call. He told his mother the call was about someone he
had to meet in Jakarta. Given the traffic, it took four hours
more than usual to get back.

Neighbors filled him in on the fire which started on the roof
of an empty house at 3:15 a.m., and rapidly destroyed the 450
plywood homes which were home to some 2,000 people. Pardani, 80,
a scrap iron scavenger, had rented out 12 rooms in his house.

Geno, an advertising agency driver, was thankful his wife, two
boys and sister-in-law were safe. All 15 of his "Medan tea" carts
were destroyed. His wife only regretted their new Fuji camera,
and pictures of their Idul Fitri picnic at the Ragunan Zoo, were
destroyed in the fire.

Employers became as poor as their workers when their capital
and assets went up in smoke. Kodir lost all 20 of the carts he
used to sell "Medan tea," a refreshing sweet ice drink. One of
his cart pullers, Tofik, returned from Kendal, Central Java, with
only Rp 1000.

Owners of three-wheel vehicles called toyoko wondered how they
would pay their debts to the cooperative where they bought their
vehicles.

"In three years I've only paid Rp 3 million of Rp 24 million,"
said Toha, who owned three vehicles.

Yesterday a district office official said a circular was being
prepared telling residents they could not rebuild.

But the reasons for this still varied. Mayor Suprawito would
only say rebuilding was "allowed according to procedures,"
meaning residents should check with local authorities.

A public order official at the subdistrict office said the
14,000-square-meter land belonged to the partially-city-owned
property firm PT Pembangunan Jaya, and the residents had
illegally taken over the property.

An official at the district's development supervision office
said the plot, like the one razed Thursday, was a green area and
under high-voltage electricity cables.

Meanwhile residents said they had documents showing individual
permits to use the land, signed by the former subdistrict head
Soedarsono.

One man said he believed they would be allowed to rebuild
because the government had registered more than 2,000 eligible
voters for the May general election in the area.

Sepinter Djuwariah, who held a permit for a 300-square-meter
plot, said it did not matter if the other parties who claimed
authority over the land wanted to use it, as long as they were
given compensation.

Others said there had been rumors they would be evacuated
after Idul Fitri, for unclear reasons.

Residents said they did not want to charge anybody with arson,
but felt it was strange the fire started from the roof of an
empty house.

"If someone wants to use this land they should say so. But
since 1980 nobody has claimed ownership or said, 'thank you
Mister for taking care of my land, now I would like to use it'",
said Purwadi, a resident.

Emotions led them to the rapid conclusion that if anyone were
to prevent them from erecting tents on the razed plot, it would
be that person or group which should be suspected of possible
arson.

Meanwhile other residents were still busy searching for
valuables in the remains. Hery, a scavenging business owner, said
he lost Rp 7 million in the fire which also killed cats and
birds.

Many could still joke, but Sariah, 54, burst into tears when
she saw her former neighbor from Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta.

"Our homes were evacuated three years ago (in Cempaka Putih)
and now our houses are burned," the food stall owner said.
(13/anr/ste)