D

espite strong objections from residents, the Jakarta administration has torn down around 114 houses on the banks of the Ancol River in Pinangsia, Tamansari, West Jakarta.

Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) chief Kukuh Hadi Santoso said on Wednesday that he deployed around 500 personnel for the operation. '€œAround 100 personnel from the city administration and the Indonesian Military also helped with the eviction process,'€ he said, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Kukuh said objections from residents were a regular reaction when the city administration tried to evict people. '€œThe residents will be relocated to the nearest low-cost apartments. We still have 200 vacant units in Marunda, North Jakarta, for example,'€ he said.

Many residents were shocked and hysterical when Satpol PP personnel tore down their houses while others were busy salvaging their belongings.

On Tuesday night, dozens of residents staged a protest in front of Jakarta Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama'€™s house at the Pantai Mutiara housing complex in North Jakarta to negotiate on the eviction.

The residents were eventually dispersed by the police after they attempted to tear down the front gate of the housing complex.

Ahok reiterated that the city administration would not back down from its plan of evicting residents who lived on illegal land plots like river banks, parks and other public spaces.