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Jokowi promises Batam-Bintan bridge
Jokowi promises Batam residents that he will construct a bridge that will connect several small islands
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Incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (on carriage, left) takes part in a street parade in Tangerang City, Banten, on Sunday, along with his running mate Ma’ruf Amin. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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ncumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo vowed on Saturday to complete the construction of a bridge connecting Batam to Bintan islands during an open campaign event at a sports stadium in Batam, Riau Islands.
In front of thousands of supporters that packed Tumenggung Abdul Jamal Stadium, the President, who is seeking reelection, said a team would come to the city this week to prepare a detailed engineering design of the planned 7-kilometer-long bridge that would connect the two small islands located in the eastern part of Sumatra.
Jokowi also promised to legalize land ownership in dozens of old kampungs in Batam. Each owner would receive a land certificate, he said.
“[The government] will issue the certificates within three months. We will settle the problems [in the areas],” he said, which was met with cheers from the audience.
The Batam-Bintan bridge project was first introduced in 2005. An early design shows that the bridge would consist of three parts. The first part would connect the capital of Riau Islands to Tanjung Sauh Island, the second one would connect Tanjung Sauh to Buau-Buau Island, and the last one would link Buau-Buau to Bintan.
It is estimated that the project will cost Rp 3 trillion.
Jokowi continued his campaign on Sunday by attending a street parade in Tangerang City, Banten, with his running mate Ma’ruf Amin.
