Villagers demand compensation for flood control project

Residents of Sei Tuan subdistrict in Deli Serdang regency have demanded that the North Sumatra provincial government halt a flood control project until compensation is paid for eight hectares of their land that they allege was appropriated for the project.

They threatened they would continue blocking the local regional infrastructure ministry office from carrying out the project unless they were paid compensation.

Budi, spokesman for the villagers, said they were very disappointed with the provincial government for failing to solve the land dispute that had already lasted for four years.

"The villagers have given up their land to be used for the flood control project, which is expected to prevent floods in the provincial capital, but the government should also provide fair compensation for the land," he said after organizing more than 250 villagers, mostly women and children, to stage a demonstration in front of the governor's office and the provincial legislature building in Medan over the weekend.

He said a majority of villagers had turned down the compensation offered by the government because the amount was not in line with the agreement between the villagers and the local agrarian affairs office.

He claimed that the regional infrastructure ministry's office had offered between Rp 2,500 and Rp 7,500 per square meter while according the agreement made in 1997, between Rp 5,750 and Rp 9,125 per square meter should have be paid.

"As things stand, the villagers won't receive compensation in accordance with the agreed price, and are now demanding a renegotiation in accordance with current land prices in the subdistrict," he said.

The villagers were suspicious that part of the project funds, which were granted by the Japanese government, had been embezzled by project officers as so far the project had not been completed, he added.

Zahrin Piliang, deputy chairman of the provincial legislature's Commission I on administrative affairs, expressed his deep concern over the land dispute and the stalled project, and said he would bring the case up at the next hearing with the governor.

"We will also ask the High Prosecutor's Office to investigate the alleged financial leakages in the project," he said after receiving a number of villagers representing the demonstrators at his office.

He warned that with the onset of the rainy season, more floods were expected to hit the provincial capital because of the unfinished flood control project.