Land conflict plagues canal project

Mustaqim Adamrah ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 02/15/2008 10:11 AM  |  Headlines

In a bid to speed up construction of the East Flood Canal, Jakarta administration said it would stand its ground against residents who continued to claim ownership over land the government had purchased.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said the administration had a strong legal base and they would "stick to it".

The administration's reaction was prompted by the many claims from residents over land allocated for the canal's construction.

The last case involved hundreds of North Jakarta residents, who tried to stop dozens of workers Wednesday at the construction site in Marunda subdistrict and Cilincing district, as reported by Warta Kota daily on Thursday.

Claiming a total of 11 hectares of land at the two sites, the residents said they did not know the city had purchased the land and they had not received any payment for it. They removed the poles that were marking the project area.

"We want to see some authentication of the land ownership," said Yasin, a resident interviewed by the daily.

He said the administration likely used brokers to purchase the land to avoid any payments required to residents.

Fauzi however said, "It is impossible for us to use brokers because land acquisition involves so many institutions".

He said he had received reports from North Jakarta's administration, confirming the authenticity of the city's land certificates made during 2004 to 2006.

Meanwhile, North Jakarta Mayor Effendi Anas said the protesters had gone and the project was moving ahead.

The administration has been involved in extensive legal disputes with land owners despite a city regulation mandating land owners to willingly give up their land in these cases.

The East Flood Canal, with a planned 2.35 kilometers in length and 300 meters wide, is expected to be completed by 2009.

Between late 2006 and the end of 2007, more than 80 percent of the 18.3 hectares of land needed for the project was acquired by the administration.

The administration used Rp 499.9 billion (US$54 million) out of Rp 850 billion it allocated in last year's budget for land acquisition.

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