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Jokowi kicks off toll projects in C. Java after two-decade delay
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President Joko Widodo along with Cabinet members inspects the Pejangan-Pemalang toll road on April 11. (BPMI/Cahyo)
P
resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo finally kicked off construction of the Batang - Pemalang and Batang - Semarang toll roads on Friday after work had been suspended for the past 20 years due to land-acquisition issues.
Jokowi pointed out that land acquisition was a major constraint in infrastructure development in the country, including the toll roads, which are part of the trans-Java network linking Banyuwangi in East Java and Merak in West Java.
"This project should have been started 20 years ago. But it could not go ahead because there were problems in land acquisition," Jokowi said at the groundbreaking ceremony in Batang, Central Java.
According to the President, such land issues would hamper development in the country, leaving Indonesia unable to compete with other countries in the global economy.
Jokowi instructed ministries to take a persuasive approach with the community to address land-acquisition problems, for the sake of the national interest. "We all have to work together because it is not possible for the government to work alone," he added.
He said the halted project had caused extra costs. For land acquisition alone, the price had gone up several times, about 10 to 20-fold. The government took over the project from investors and handed it to two state-owned firms, Jasa Marga and Waskita. (dan)
