“We cannot say yes to all citizens’ requests like we used to, can we? Not all homes are habitable. Housing should be upgraded while taking care of the health and education aspects,” Sandiaga said at Jakarta City Hall on Wednesday as reported by kompas.com.

Sandiaga said the administration’s efforts to restore Kampung Akuarium was based on principles of justice but it could not be applied to all evicted citizens.

The administration has budgeted up to Rp 21 billion (US$ 1.52 million) to build shelters for the evicted residents of Kampung Akuarium, Kampung Kunir in West Jakarta, and Bukit Duri in South Jakarta. However, the construction of the Kampung Kunir and Bukit Duri shelters has yet to begin.

The residents were evicted during the administration of then governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, mainly as part of a flood-mitigation program. According to the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), during the two years of Ahok’s tenure, a total of 25,533 Jakarta residents were evicted.

Earlier this year, Sandiaga called on the flood-affected residents of Bidara Cina to hand over their land to the city administration to help move forward with a flood-mitigation project.

Sandiaga said that up to 16 community units (RW) in Jakarta would be organized under the Community Action Plan program. He added that the administration would revise the necessary regulations and budget for the program to be approved. (ami)

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