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Jakarta Post

Relocation continues at Pluit Dam

Moving on: Evicted squatters living on the northern side of Pluit Dam, North Jakarta, rifle through the debris of their houses after the recent demolition

Fikri Zaki Muhammadi (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, August 24, 2013

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Relocation continues at Pluit Dam Moving on: Evicted squatters living on the northern side of Pluit Dam, North Jakarta, rifle through the debris of their houses after the recent demolition. The city administration had deployed hundreds of Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) personnel and heavy equipment to demolish the squatters houses after they declined to relocate to other areas. (JP/P.J. Leo) (Satpol PP) personnel and heavy equipment to demolish the squatters houses after they declined to relocate to other areas. (JP/P.J. Leo)

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span class="inline inline-none">Moving on: Evicted squatters living on the northern side of Pluit Dam, North Jakarta, rifle through the debris of their houses after the recent demolition. The city administration had deployed hundreds of Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) personnel and heavy equipment to demolish the squatters houses after they declined to relocate to other areas. (JP/P.J. Leo)

The area around Pluit Dam in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, is being repaired and cleaned up following the demolition of buildings and the relocation of squatters on Wednesday.

Despite resistance from several squatters, 68 illegal houses were demolished and 77 families were forced to leave the dam'€™s east side with the deployment of 800 members of the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) and heavy equipment.

A resident, Dwi, 47, said that she did not expect the eviction because Jakarta Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo told the residents that the eviction would start in two years, after the administration finished the construction of new low-cost apartment buildings to accommodate the squatters.

'€œI will stay here until the city government gives me compensation because I have spent a lot of money building my house,'€ said Dwi, who has lived in the area for eight years.

Resident Siti Upenah, 52, said that the city government was cruel and treated the residents like animals.

'€œWe were waiting to have a meeting with the representatives of the administration to discuss our compensation, but suddenly hundreds of officers raided us on Thursday,'€ she said. '€œMany residents were beaten and arrested by Satpol PP officers as if we were terrorists.'€

Siti, who originally came from Madura, East Java, explained that she had lived in the area for 13 years. Her husband passed away three years ago, and she had to support her five children by selling scrap irons.

Siti added that she did not want to be relocated to a low-cost apartment because she could not afford it.

'€œI demand that the governor use his wisdom when treating us,'€ she said. '€œHe should give us an appropriate amount of money so we can rent houses near here without leaving our businesses.'€

After the west and north sides of the 20-hectare dam, which used to be 80 hectares wide, were cleared from illegal houses, people could clearly see the conditions around the dam for the first time. The water was polluted and giving off a very bad smell. The western side of the dam has a park with trees, chairs and lamps, attracting some visitors.

However, some workers were still digging parts of the dam with bulldozers on Friday, cleaning it from trash, sedimentation and water hyacinth.

'€œBefore the administration demolished the squatters houses in May, I couldn'€™t see the dam because it was covered by the houses,'€ Santoso, a bulldozer operator, said.

According to data recorded by the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), before the city started the dam dredging project in May, around 6,800 families occupied 20 hectares of the 80-hectare dam. About 30 percent
of the families were of the middle and upper classes with monthly income ranging from Rp 3 million (US$309) to hundreds of millions of rupiah. The data was based on the consortium'€™s survey of 1,200 poor families around the dam.

Governor Jokowi said at the City Hall on Friday that he would avoid any friction with squatters at the Pluit Dam'€™s eastern bank. He acknowledged that only a few people resisted eviction.

'€œOnly three people are insisting on staying. Most of the squatters are already willing to move,'€ he said.

'€œBut I will avoid even the smallest friction with them,'€ he added.

Like his previous move, Jokowi said, he would invite the resistants to his office and talk to them about the facilities that they would get if they move to the low-cost apartments provided by the city administration.

Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo stressed that he did not want any conflicts in connection with the dam rehabilitation project and vowed to settle the relocation problem with squatters peacefully.

He said only a few people have launched strong resistance of the demolition but their problems would be handled properly.

'€œThere are three people resisting relocation but the majority accepted the relocation. We do not want any minor conflicts while carrying out the project,'€ he said on Friday.

The governor said he would meet with squatters opposing the relocation to give a comprehensive explanation about the project and would offer a good solution to the relocation problem. (ian)

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