Limited Land Says Public Housing Minister
Monday, 17 March, 2008 | 15:26 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: According to Public Housing Minister Yusuf Asy'ari, limited land is the barrier for the high-rise apartment project in Bandar Kemayoran.

He has also complained that his authority is limited in solving the problems related to the project.
Yusuf, speaking from his home in Jakarta yesterday (16/3), was responding to criticism from Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

One day before, Kalla said the minister had been moving “less strategically” so there was no significant progress in the high-rise project.

In 2007, Yusuf said the government had promised 56 hectares of land for high-rise building in Bandar Kemayoran.

However, up until now, there are only two hectares of land ready for construction.

This slow progress has been caused by a variety of reasons.

“One of these is that there are problematic land disputes,” said Yusuf.

The minister also complained about his limited authority.
He said the ministry's authority was only to facilitate and regulate the project in Kemayoran.

The government is targeting the completion of 1,000 high-rise apartment towers by 2009.

A total of 123 towers are to be built by the government, 41 of them by the State Ministry of Public Housing, and 82 by the Department of Public Works.

All high-rise built by government will be rental-based, while owner-based high-rises will be built by the private sector or regional governments.

The construction of high rise in Kemayoran, Yusuf continued, is a co-operation between the Kemayoran Authority and the National Public Housing Company (Perumnas).

Up until now, these two parties have not signed any agreement so construction has been delayed.

HARUN MAHBUB | NIEKE INDRIETTA