Mudflow victims get below-par houses: Report

Mudflow victims in Sidoarjo, East Java, protested against the developer of their houses in Renojoyo village, which they claimed were low quality and unlivable, Tempointeraktif.com reported Sunday.

Sudarto, for example, complained that the house which he had been living in for the past five months had many cracks on the walls and the ground water was not good for drinking even after being boiled.

Sudarto, however, is one of families who chose to live in the houses on the 6,000 square-meter housing complex. Some other families chose to build temporary shelters near the complex as a protest for the low quality of their houses.

A total of 536 families pooled their money they got from PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya, a company established by the Bakrie family, and bought the plots at the housing complex for Rp 17 million (about US$1,750) per one house plot.

Then, the Association of Real Estate Developers in Sidoarjo appointed a developer to build houses for these families. The developer charged Rp 55 million per house.

Local councilor Sulkan Wariyono said that the local legislative council would check the quality of the houses built for the mudflow victims and would demand accountability from the developer.