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Low-cost apartment plan gets mixed reaction
The cityâs plan to build a low-cost apartment complex near the banks of the Ciliwung River in Kampung Pulo, East Jakarta, has received mixed reactions from its projected inhabitants
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T
he city's plan to build a low-cost apartment complex near the banks of the Ciliwung River in Kampung Pulo, East Jakarta, has received mixed reactions from its projected inhabitants.
Some expressed excitement over the plan, while others are anxious that it will turn out to be an empty promise.
Safitriyani, a 59-year-old grandmother whose house stands to be demolished as part of the river normalization project, said on Saturday that she was pleased that the city administration planned to compensate her with an apartment unit.
'I don't mind being relocated to an apartment as long as I own it,' Safitriyani said.
She added that she felt entitled to compensation for the land that she purchased in 1986.
'Although I do not have a land certificate, I have a purchase statement,' adding that she had also paid annual land and building tax.
However, Safitriyani underlined that she needed more information on the plan.
'I heard that the city administration wanted to build a low-cost apartment, but they have not told us about it formally,' she said.
On Friday afternoon, Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama agreed to compensate the residents of Kampung Pulo with apartments after a discussion with NGO Sanggar Ciliwung Merdeka, which aims to empower riverbank dwellers.
The NGO offered an apartment complex design, called kampung susun (elevated villages), that could be built along the river bank, so it would still provide space for a water catchment area. Under the agreement, the residents will not have to be relocated to low-cost apartments elsewhere in the city.
The apartments are expected to be able to accommodate 4,500 families; Kampung Pulo is currently home to 3,809 families.
Residents with legal documents of ownership of lands and houses will get units of apartments while those who do not have land and houses will still be able to rent the apartments.
Rogaya, a 62-year-old resident, said she hoped that the administration would keep its promise. 'The relocation plan has been going on for years and we've had no clear information,' she said.
Then governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, she added, had promised them that not only land and building, but also trees and even henhouses, would be compensated.
A public figure in Kampung Pulo, S. Soleh, expressed concern over Kampung Pulo residents who had been relocated to Jatinegara Barat apartments.
'They have been registered as apartment residents. I am afraid that they will not receive the compensation,' he said.
Meanwhile, Jatinegara district head Sofyan Taher said he would issue final warning letters to residents on Monday. 'We plan to start dismantling the buildings at the beginning of August,' he said.
