by Oyos Saroso H.N.
Date: 21-03-2007
Source: The Jakarta Post
| The Bandarlampung municipality in Indonesia will tear down thousands of houses along the beach of Lampung Bay, many of which belong to the fishing community, following the planned construction of a coastal highway. The highway forms part of Bandarlampung municipality's Water Front City project, which it hopes will help ease traffic in the city. The new 5-km traffic artery starts at the Ujung Bom fish auction center in South Telukbetung district and ends at the Panjang district container port. At least 3,000 houses line the beach stretch. Their razing is being disputed by residents and the Indonesian Port Administration (Pelindo) in Lampung. Head of Bandarlampung Development Planning Board (Bappeda), Juhandi Goeswi, said the highway project was initiated by Lampung Governor Sjachroedin Z.P. "This is an alternative to Jalan Yos Sudarso, which is always jam packed. Visitors can also enjoy the coastal view when they visit Lampung," he said. The Water Front City project was actually conceived under former Bandarlampung mayor Suharto during his 1999-2004 term. The municipality had planned a city center along the waterfront, equipped with various public facilities, housing and recreation areas. To aid the construction effort, three companies have been carrying out land reclamation operations in the Lampung Bay area since 2003 using rocks from Bukit Camang in Bandarlampung. The reclamation of dozens of hectares of beach area has attracted protests from residents and non-governmental organizations, who have been staging rallies targeting the municipal council and Bandarlampung municipality almost every day. The planned mass-eviction of residents living along the beach, and their subsequent relocation to other areas, has also sparked protests. Director of the Lampung chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Mukri Friatna said the project has not been adequately supported by an environmental impact study and was environmentally damaging. Many upper-class residences now line Lampung Bay, while the livelihoods of traditional fishermen are threatened, he said. Lampung Fishermen Union secretary M. Yamin said local fishermen were not willing to be evicted and forced to live in rented flats. "How much would the rent be?" Yamin asked. "Just to have food on the table is difficult, let alone to pay for rent." Yamin said that fishermen's lives had become tougher in the past four years due to the land reclamation project and that those with small boats now had to seek fish further out at sea. "We will not catch fish if we don't venture further because the fish have all gone to the middle of the sea," he said. Bandarlampung Mayor Eddy Sutrisno said his office would not be rash in evicting people and that the municipality would familiarize the public with the Water Front City project before relocating the fishermen. |
©The Jakarta Post
