Demolition of 13 Buildings in Jatinegara Marred with Protests
Reported by Nurito | Translated by Rini Elvira
The demolition of 13 buildings on Ciliwung riverbank, Jalan Jatinegara Barat, Kampung Pulo, Jatinegara, East Jakarta, Wednesday (8/27), is marred with protests from the building owners. They did not accept their buildings being demolished because there was no socialization done before.
Today, we’re emptying the buildings first and helping the building owners to secure their belongings. After that, we do the demolition
Dahlia (40), owner to a paint store, admitted surprised with the presence of hundreds of joint personnel who will demolish her building. She had asked time to them to empty her building, but her request was turned down.
“I’ve lived here since 1970. I have land certificate and building permit (IMB). There should be socialization from the beginning,” she lamented.
Citizens Asked to Support Ciliwung River NormalizationSimilar this is conveyed by Leng Wa (50), owner to Karya Logam Store. She disclosed that last night, Tuesday (8/26), the officers from Jatinegara Sub-District came by and asked her to come to Jatinegara Sub-District office for socialization on this matter. With a loud voice, she yelled at the officers, asking them not to demolish her building.
“I agree with the program of Ciliwung River widening. But, there should have been socialization from the beginning, so residents would have time to pack their things,” she uttered.
On the other side, Head of Jakarta Satpol PP, Kukuh Hadi Santosa, denied about the absence of socialization claimed by the residents. According to him, the socialization on the demolition of these 13 buildings has been done by local urban village and sub-district officials since a long time ago. Residents claiming there was no socialization is a common thing said in every demolition.
“Today, we’re emptying the buildings first and helping the building owners to secure their belongings. After that, we do the demolition,” he asserted.
The demolition is conducted because those buildings are affected by Ciliwung River normalization project. As many as 850 joint personnel from Satpol PP, TNI/police, Jakarta Public Works Department, and ranks from local urban village and sub-district are deployed.
Meanwhile, Head of Jatinegara Sub-District, Sofyan Taher, informed that after these 13 buildings, next week 531 buildings which occupied by 940 households in RW 01, 02, and 03 Kampung Pulo will be demolished as well. The land lot to be controlled is two kilometers long and located on Ciliwung riverbank.
“Before those buildings demolished, we first relocate the residents to Cipinang Besar Selatan Flat, East Jakarta. At this time, the residents have registered their names in the urban village office,” he stated.
