Villagers demand compensation for flood control project

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.