R

esidents of Kebun Sayur in Ciracas, East Jakarta, are pinning their hopes on Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan as they face the possibility of being evicted from the land on which they have resided for decades.

Their homes may be destroyed to make way for an integrated residential and public transportation project, which will be built around the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) concept by state-owned construction firm PT Adhi Karya and state-run city bus company Pengangkutan Penumpang Djakarta (PPD).

The mega project, which will take up 11.5 hectares of land, will include a light rapid transit (LRT) station serving the Cawang-Dukuh Atas, Cawang-Cibubur and Cawang-Bekasi Timur routes, as well as apartment towers and a shuttle bus terminal.

“The development might expand to Kebun Sayur,” said Pandi S, head of community group Team 9 that was formed to resolve the land dispute revolving around Kebun Sayur.

After realizing that their homes might be affected by the mega project, around 400 families who live on approximately 5 ha of the land in question have been anxious about their future.

In 2009, the PPD issued a letter claiming that it owned the land on which roughly 2,300 people have resides for generations, urging its occupants to leave.

However, the firm has been unable to produce a land ownership certification, said Charlie Alabajili from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), who is assisting the residents.

“The PPD’s status is the same as the residents’,” he said.

“Neither the PPD nor the locals have a land certificate.”

Charlie conceded that the TOD concept could be a good solution to a range of problems in the area, “but how the development is being carried out is also crucial”.

“It all depends on Pak Anies, because he is the one who has the authority to carry out the eviction,” he added.

Kebun Sayur residents reported the land dispute to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in June and asked for assistance in the case.

“The government never responded to our protests,” Pandi claimed.

According to the residents, a sign stating that the land belonged to the PPD was erected in their neighborhood in July.

“We removed the sign immediately,” said Kebun Sayur resident Pe Sibarani, 50.

They also claimed to have been intimidated by “thugs”.

“They came to provoke our reaction,” Pandi claimed.

However, the PPD denied the accusation.

“That’s not true at all,” said PPD finance director Fanny Priani, insisting that the company legally owned the land.

“The state handed the land over to the PPD in 1985 as part of a state capital injection [PMN], which is stated in Government Regulation No. 42/2003,” he said.

He further claimed that the company had proof of its ownership rights, including a document on the sale and purchase of land (AJB) and girik (customary land appointment). (stu)