More roads being built on outer islands<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government has spent some Rp 168 billion
\n(US$77.8 million) to build the roads connecting Jayapura and
\nWamena, both in the province of Irian Jaya, as a part of the
\nTrans Irian highway network.<\/p>\n
Minister of Public Works Radinal Moochtar said in a hearing
\nwith the House of Representatives (DPR), yesterday, that the
\nministry started the construction of the roads in 1990\/1991
\nfiscal year.<\/p>\n
Radinal said that the government had also developed the Trans
\nKalimantan highway on Kalimantan Island, Trans Seram in the
\nMaluku province as well as a road joining Natal and Sibolga in
\nNorth Sumatra.<\/p>\n
The government thought the development of Trans Irian,
\nconnecting Sorong and Jayapura, would be a significant boost to
\nthe exploitation of natural resources on the island.<\/p>\n
Legislator S.G.B. Tampubolon of the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty (PDI), however, told Radinal that the government had not
\npaid enough attention to the construction of new roads in the
\nouter islands.<\/p>\n
Citing an example, Tampubolon said that the general level of
\ndevelopment of roads in Riau province was much lower than those
\nin Wonogiri district, Central Java.<\/p>\n
\"Why do we always talk about Wonogiri and other Java-based
\nroad development projects? Why not the other islands?\" added
\nTampubolon, who himself is a representative from Pacitan, East
\nJava.<\/p>\n
\"A province like Riau, which contributes a lot to the central
\ngovernment, deserves more road development than Wonogiri,\" he
\nsaid bluntly, referring to Riau's huge oil revenue contribution.<\/p>\n
In a related development, he said that the Trans Seram roadway
\nwill cost Rp 97 billion, of which some Rp 75 billion had been
\nspent during the fifth Five Year Development.<\/p>\n
He added that of 90 kilometer road connecting Jembatan Merah
\nand Natal in North Sumatra, 61 kilometers had been completed,
\nwhile 70 of the 170 kilometers of road from Natal to Barang Toru
\nhad been finished.(09)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/more-roads-being-built-on-outer-islands-1447893297",
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