Adaro offers below par land compensation for locals
Thursday, April 13 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
South Kalimantan-based Coal miner PT Adaro Indonesia has offered below par compensations for lands owned local people in its mining areas in Dahai village, Paringin (HSU), Padang Panjang and Warukin, and Tanta (Tabalong).
According to local people, the company offered them only Rp 125 per square meter of land. Some of them even claimed that they were offered only Rp 50 a sqm.
Representatives from the villages came to Banjarmasin Post on Wednesday to report about the "unbelievably low" compensation offer from Adaro, a giant coal mining company in the province.
Mansyah and Asmuri, from Dahai village, said that they had sold their lands at a price of Rp250 per sqm to Andaro due to economic problems.
Meanwhile, Mukri, from Padang Panjang village, said Adaro officials offered him only Rp125 per sqm of his lands.
Ardiansyah, also from Padang Panjang, said that his land was valued Rp 50 per sqm, while Uki from Warukin village said Adaro offered him only Rp 100 per sqm for his land.
Samadi, from Dahai, said that the compensation value has actually been agreed among the villagers and they should be no less than Rp 2,500 per sqm.
In the beginning of its operation, Adaro used that figure when compensating local people for lands the company used for its mining. But after the company has established its operation, it offered a unilateral price, which was unbelievably low.
Unlike during its initial stage of operation, Adaro now did not offer different prices for lands with plantations and lands without plantations.
Samadi said Adaro used some villagers it has recruited to force villagers to sell their land at such a low level.
"So, we feel that we have been colonized by our own people," Samadi said.
Sadder still, Samadi's six-hectare land is now circled by Adaro's mining areas. But Samadi vowed not to sell his lands at below market prices to Adaro. He would only sell his lands when Adaro offer a reasonable price for his land.
"Just imagine, the price of fertilizer is Rp 60,000 a kilo. So, Rp 250 money is worth what? Should I sell several square meters of my land just to buy a package of cigarette?" Samadi said.
Adaro general manager Edy Suwignyo denied that the company had offered below par prices for lands owned by villagers. He said that the company always referred to existing regulations in giving compensations. But he did not specify how much the company offered to the villagers. (*)