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Trouble breaks out in AEON Mall, JGC as residents blame developers for flooding
Dozens of people living around JGC gathered at the AEON mall and the property management office. Violence broke out and windows were broken in the building.
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AEON Mall in Jakarta Garden City in Cakung, East Jakarta. (Shutterstock/File)
T
rouble broke out at Jakarta Garden City (JGC) township residential complex in Cakung, East Jakarta on Tuesday, as local residents blamed the complex developer for causing floods that inundated their homes following a heavy downpour across the city overnight.
Dozens of people living around JGC gathered at the AEON mall – located within the property area -- and the property management office. Violence broke out and windows were broken in the building.
AEON Mall is a shopping area inside JGC. The township project was officially launched in September 2017.
The chief of East Jakarta Police’s criminal investigation department, Adj. Sr. Comr. Heri Purnomo, said the mob attacking the mall and the office were local residents who lived around the township project. They suffered from massive flooding after heavy rain on Monday night.
“They think that the housing development [at JGC] has caused flooding in their homes. They demand the developers solve the flooding problem,” Heri said on Tuesday.
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Videos purporting to show the trouble have been circulating on social media. A Twitter user, @Manispolos3, shared a video accompanied by a caption: “People attack the marketing office of JGC in Cakung because [they believe] JGC’s embankment has caused flooding at Tambun Rengas kampung in East Cakung subdistrict, East Jakarta.”
Massa serang Kantor Pemasaran Jakarta Garden City, Cakung Karena tanggul JGC, warga pemukiman Kampung Tambun Rengas Kelurahan Cakung Timur, Jakarta Timur kebanjiran pic.twitter.com/lsVHChXlCV
— RakyatMelarat (@Manispolos3) February 25, 2020
Despite the heavy rain since Monday midnight, JGC was not inundated by floodwater.
Another Twitter user, @sjifa, wrote the reason why JGC did not got flooded despite the heavy rain was because the developers had elevated the land by some 3 to 5 meters.
“JGC doesn't get flooded because it guarantees it is 1,000 percent flood-free, but the kampungs around JGC are submerged. Everything has changed since the JGC was built,” @sjifa claimed on Monday.
JGC sih gak banjir kan jaminan bebas banjir 1000% tapi warga kampung disekitar JGC yang kerendam😔
Semua berubah semenjak negara JGC berdiri pic.twitter.com/6Dv5v2lvzE
— sjifa (@sjifa) February 23, 2020
Heri said the situation was calm as of Tuesday noon.
“We have apprehended residents suspected of causing damage. Meanwhile, other residents have returned to their homes,” he went on to say.
Heri added that the residents’ representatives had entered into discussions with JGC developers and officials from the subdistrict regarding the flooding in their area. (hol)
