Bekasi residents block road leading to Balongan oil well

Over a hundred of residents in Kedungjaya, Bekasi blocked the road leading to Pertamina?s Balongan oil well on Thursday after the Bekasi administration and the local legislative council ignored their demand to repair the 160-kilometer road, Kompas reported on Saturday.

The road blockage, which ended on Friday evening, had cut off Pertamina?s crude oil supply from the Balongan oil well as mobile tankers operated by Pertamina to transport the oil were banned from passing the road.

The residents threatened to block the road again if the Bekasi regent, Wikanda Darmawijaya continued to ignore their demand.

The road blockage was inspected by Pertamina?s top executives. They pledged to help solve the problem.

In a meeting with the secretary of the Bekasi administration, Adang Bahtiar and some members of the legislative council, Pertamina promised to help meet the residents? demand to repair the 16-kilometer road, said Sri Kustini, the spoke person for Pertamina?s West Java upstream operation.

"Actually the road repair is the responsibility of the local government. Pertamina will only assist them," she added.

According to her, Pertamina paid at least Rp 7 billion a year in property tax to the government. In addition, 15 percent of the oil production is given to the West Java province. Bekasi receives six percent, the West Java provincial administration three percent and other regencies in the province the remaining six percent, she added. (*)