10 projects to start at Bekasi anniversary

BEKASI, West Java (JP): Bekasi Regent Moch. Djamhari will celebrate the regency's 46th anniversary tomorrow by inaugurating 10 projects worth Rp 19 billion (US$8.5 million).

The projects include various buildings for social and educational purposes such as schools, markets, a waste processing installation, bridge and local broadcasting.

"The ceremony will take place at one of the project sites, the nurse's dormitory of the administration-owned hospital in town," the regency's public relations head, Atang Sudjana, said yesterday. He said that 23 mini markets in least-developed villages will also be officially opened.

He added that all of the projects were financed by the administration, an Asian Development Bank loan and donations from the private sector.

The administration plans to offer 75 tenders worth Rp 30 billion during the 1996/1997 fiscal year.

All the tenders are in process, but many local contractors were not invited to bid.

"Sixty contractors which are members of the Bekasi chapter of the Indonesian Builders Association were invited in the first bidding while 48 others were invited in the second bidding," deputy chairman of the association's local office, Yadhi Biki, told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

Yadhi admitted that some of the association's members had bad reputations from past projects. However, he said, such bad attitudes must have resulted from poor guidance and supervision from the local administration. (kod)