Jakarta – Many of the people living under city turnpikes are anxious over the news they will soon be relocated as they have gotten no wind of alternative arrangements.
"I don't know where to live if the administration drives us away from this place," said Neng, 37, who has been living under the Jembatan Tiga turnpike, North Jakarta, for five years.
A huge fire under the Jembatan Tiga turnpike early this month prompted the city administration to issue a decision regarding the relocation of all people living under or alongside expressways.
The decision was made in a meeting between the North Jakarta municipality, turnpike operator PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada, and state-owned turnpike developer PT Jasa Marga, as well as the Public Works Ministry.
According to data from the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), 4,646 families or 18,584 people are currently living under the 11-kilometers of elevated roads stretching from Tanjung Priok to Penjaringan, North Jakarta.
In 2002, the Housing Ministry issued a decree that temporarily allowed people to reside under turnpikes. However, in November 2006, the Public Works Ministry annulled that decree.
Unlike most of the residents who claim ignorance of the ban, Adi knows he should not be living under a turnpike.
"I have rented a room in a nearby area for Rp 250,000 a month. But I don't know how long I can keep that up for," said Adi, who has been living with his wife and child under the Jembatan Tiga turnpike for three years. The couple sell vegetables at a nearby traditional market with a daily turnover of Rp 50,000-80,000.
Many people, however, still live under the turnpike, like Sum, her husband and their five children. She said her family used to live in a low-cost apartment but they left five years ago and decided to live under the turnpike as they could not make the rent.
City daily paper Warta Kota reported on Monday that the squatters would be relocated to a number of low-cost apartments in Marunda, Cilincing, North Jakarta; Cakung, East Jakarta; and Parungpanjang, Bogor.
They have been promised a 50 percent discount, which would make their rent Rp 90,000-100,000. However, the 3,760 units of the Marunda low-cost apartments in Cilincing, North Jakarta, for example, are still under construction.
UPC activist Edi Saidi said it was the city administration's responsibility to provide the squatters with homes.
"There are idle plots of land owned by PT Jasa Marga near their old homes, including in Sungai Bambu, Warakas, Kampung Walang and Jl. Tongkol where the squatters could live temporarily," he said. "Why pick areas like in Marunda and others that are too far?"
Edi had earlier organized the squatters to stage a demonstration at the Public Works Ministry on Monday but it was canceled because Minister Djoko Kirmanto did not agree to meet them. "Besides, things are hectic around here (under the Jembatan Tiga turnpike) with the presence of public order officers asking residents to give their ID numbers for unclear purposes," he added.
North Jakarta Public Order Agency head Bambang Prayitno said they were "carrying out orders from our superiors".