Canal forces residents to move

Agnes Winarti ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 04/29/2008 12:40 PM  |  City

The ongoing soil excavation for the city's East Flood Canal project has left landowners no choice but to move, despite an unfinished acquisition process.

As workers and heavy machines tear down buildings, 30-year-old Wiwik Siswanto said she could not stand staying at her home in Sawah Barat, East Jakarta, on land she inherited from her grandfather.

"My new house across the road will only be finished in two months. I don't feel safe in this house anymore," said the mother of two, standing in front of her house that now has no fences and is directly exposed to the dusty road.

"My property was procured for only Rp 1.4 million per square meter and I had to pay 10 percent of that in land tax. Properties across the street are valued at twice mine," she said.

Ronny, who has run a motorcycle workshop since 1995, said he had not taken the money provided by the administration as compensation for his property, although many of his neighbors had taken theirs.

"The administration provides an unfair amount in compensation. It's set way below the market price," he said, adding his property is worth Rp 4 million to Rp 5 million per square meter, like nearby properties unaffected by the canal project.

"I am willing to let go of my property for the sake of public use, but the procurement fee should be at least 60 to 70 percent of the market price," said Ronny, whose property was also only valued at Rp 1.4 million per square meter.

However, head of the land procurement team for the canal, Burhanuddin, said any landowners who are not satisfied with the fee offered to them could file an objection to the office for land and property tax.

"We will consider their objections," he said.

Ronny regretted building his three-story home and workshop in 2003 after being advised to do so by several public servants at the administration's spatial planning office.

"They said the canal construction plan still had a long way to go, probably more than 20 years. They said it was OK for me to build this house. Now I can't sleep or concentrate on my work."

Fifty-year-old Gandi, a vegetable vendor who has lived under a high-voltage electricity tower since 1980, said she did not plan to move anywhere.

"I heard from other neighbors the nearby excavation would not be carried out soon. So I haven't thought about moving out."

The 23.5-kilometer East Flood Canal will stretch across 11 sub-districts in East Jakarta as well as two sub-districts in North Jakarta.

Land procurement for the 1.25 trillion-rupiah project is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.

This year, the city administration has allocated Rp 800 billion for land acquisition.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.