Trans-Java Toll Road Land Acquisition Process Hampered
21 August 2014 21:26 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Achmad Herry Marzuki, Chief of the sub-directorate for Land Acquisition at the Ministry for Public Works, said that currently, the land acquisition process for the Trans-Java tollroad has reached 63 percent. Among the reasons for the slow progress are land acquisition issues encountered at the Pemalang-Batang and Batang-Semarang section. "No progress has been made at all on those sections," said Achmad to Tempo on Wednesday, August 20, 2014.
According to Achmad, the government has aimed to acquire at least 85 percent of the 4,500 hectares of land needed to begin the construction of the Trans-Java tollroad. However, this target remains out of reach if the Pemalang-Batang and Batang-Semarang sections cannot be cleared. Land acquisition for the Solo-Mantingan section is due to finish by the end of the year.
The lead negotiator of the land-acquisition team responsible over the Pejagan-Pemalang-Batang section, Muhammad Rusdi, said that the acquisition process was stalled because his team has not received the necessary funding to cover basic operations and other expenses. "We need funds to support our operations - for example, we need funding to properly socialise the project to local communities," explained Rusdi.
For one month of operation, the land acquisition team requires an estimated budget of around Rp100 to 150 million. Meanwhile, other expenses is expected to be around the Rp 10 million mark.
Rusdi said that the budget should have been disbursed contractors responsible for the project because apart from providing the necessary operational funds for the land acquisition team, the money is need to pay for land inventory, discussions with local communities, and wages of Land Acquisition Committee members.
Since the project began in 2008, only 2,84 percent of the land required for Section I of the Pemalang-Batang stretch has been acquired. The total amount of land cleared stands at 5,5 hectares, which is comprised of two villages in Pemalang: Saradang and Cibelok. The amount of budget that has been disbursed to clear the aforementioned lands has reached Rp 2 billion. Meanwhile, only 3.33 percent of the land required to build the Batang-Semarang section has been acquired.
ALI HIDAYAT
