Residents halt housing project in Tangerang

Members of Nahdlatul Ulama youth wing GP Anshor protested in Pagedangan, Tangerang, on Monday, forcing a waterway construction project to a halt.

The protesters accused PT Paramount Serpong, the company performing the work, of blocking road access for local residents.

“Until there’s an agreement between the developer and locals, the project should be shut down,” said Abdullah, chairman of Tangerang branch GP Anshor.

Police personnel were called in to secure the protest on Monday.

Spokesman for PT Paramount Serpong Robby Mustafa said that the protesters’ action was over the top.

“They should come to us and discuss this issue before coming to the site and disrupting the construction work,” he said.

Robby claimed the dispute had lasted for a year, when the developer closed road access from Cihuni village to neighboring Medang village.

Locals claimed that the access blocked by the developer was a public road, while the company claimed that it belonged to them.