AHY Jumps Into Checking Land for Relocation Candidates for Mount Ruang Eruption Victims

JAKARTA – Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) left for Gorontalo Airport, North Sulawesi (Sulut) in the early hours of Sunday (5/5/2024). AHY will continue his journey to inspect prospective relocation sites for displaced residents affected by the eruption of Mount Ruang in Modisi Village, South Bolaang Mongondow Regency.

This trip was carried out to follow up on President Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi) instructions at a Limited Meeting at the State Palace, Jakarta on Friday (3/5/2024). AHY said that currently there are 301 families who will soon be relocated.

“Because they have been making their living around Mount Ruang which has the potential to be directly affected by the eruption, the government’s decision in a limited meeting chaired by President Joko Widodo is that we want to relocate these communities to make them safer,” said AHY before leaving Jakarta.

AHY flew to Djalaludin Airport, Gorontalo because Sam Ratulangi Airport, Manado is currently still closed due to the ash from the Mount Ruang eruption. From Gorontalo, AHY will travel overland for approximately 4 hours to get to Modisi Village, South Bolaang Mongondow Regency.

The government has designated Modisi Village as a relocation area, both for settlement of displaced residents. “I want to ensure that the land prepared in South Bolaang Mongondow is ready, the status is clean and clear because we hope that this relocation can be carried out soon,” he said.

The North Sulawesi Provincial Government will acquire land in areas that have been designated as relocation sites. In this case, the Ministry of ATR/BPN is tasked with ensuring that the land at the relocation location has clean and clear status.

After all land administration requirements are met, then construction of community housing can be carried out. AHY is committed to speeding up the land administration process so that relocation and infrastructure development for displaced residents can be carried out immediately.

“The government must be present immediately to ensure that the affected communities receive certainty. We must provide a sense of security, a sense of certainty to the community. Hopefully we can immediately follow up with the next steps,” he concluded.

It is known that before flying to Gorontalo early this morning, last night AHY held a coordination meeting with the Secretary General, the relevant Directors General, the Head of the North Sulawesi Provincial BPN Regional Office, and the Heads of the relevant Land Offices to confirm the status of the prospective relocation land. The results of this coordination meeting were immediately sent to President Jokowi as an initial report.

(rca)