East Java to upgrade houses of the poor

The East Java administration is planning to renovate at total of 684,000 houses belonging to low-income residents, Governor Soekarwo said Thursday.

“We will cooperate with the Indonesian Army to renovate underprivileged houses in a project that would cost Rp 4.2 trillion (US$424.2 million),” he was quoted as saying by Antara news agency during a meeting with hundreds of village leaders in Gresik.

Soekarwo said the administration was planning to renovate houses that do not have proper flooring, sanitation systems and electricity access.

“Underquality houses have led to costs of up to Rp 3.7 trillion in health problems,” he said.

He said that the project, among other big projects aimed at improving standards of living among poorer sections of the population, would use funds allocated in the province's 2009 Budget.