AHY reports to Prabowo on sea walls to national railway network

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono reported to President Prabowo Subianto on several national priority programmes in infrastructure and regional development. These range from the development and protection of the North Java Coast to the expansion of the national railway network. AHY conveyed this in a press statement following a meeting with Prabowo, alongside Minister of Investment and Downstreaming as well as CEO of Danantara Rosan Roeslani, Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo, and Head of the North Java Coast Management Authority (BOPPJ) Didit Herdiawan at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday. “We have just met with the President at Merdeka Palace to report on several strategic issues in infrastructure and regional development. In particular, related to several national priority work programmes. Among them, we reported the concept of development as well as protection of the North Java Coast,” he said. The man commonly known as AHY stated that they reported on the concept of development and protection of the North Java Coast, which currently faces challenges such as land subsidence and tidal flooding due to rising sea levels. He said these efforts are aimed at protecting communities in the North Coast area while preserving economic activities, including industrial zones and special economic zones in the region. In addition, they also reported on the progress of rehabilitation and reconstruction after natural disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. He noted that the rebuilding and revitalisation of basic infrastructure such as roads, bridges, sanitation, housing, irrigation, health facilities, education, and places of worship generally show good progress. “Including housing, irrigation, and various public facilities, including for health, education, and places of worship, generally show good progress, although there are still several issues that remain challenges in the field,” he said. AHY also conveyed President Prabowo’s directives on the development of the national railway network, particularly for the Trans-Sumatra, Trans-Kalimantan, and parts of Sulawesi routes to support balanced development as well as public and logistics transport. The meeting also discussed post-accident handling following the train incident at Bekasi Timur Station, including plans to build safety facilities around 76 level crossings in Java and parts of Sumatra. They will also close vulnerable points and improve signalling systems and modernise the railway system to enhance public transportation safety. “So the spirit is to prioritise safety for public transportation, and ultimately inter-regional connectivity can also bring growth and other economic opportunities,” said AHY. In addition, AHY reported on the progress of regional road infrastructure development to support food security and self-sufficiency. These efforts are expected to improve regional infrastructure conditions within the next one to two years, thereby providing greater economic benefits. On that occasion, AHY said, President Prabowo also conveyed the spirit of the Indonesia ASRI Movement, which aims to resolve waste issues and reorganise slum areas to make them healthier and support the development of the national tourism sector. “It is hoped that all this can also enhance tourism potential, because it can indeed be said that advancing the tourism sector in Indonesia is ‘low hanging fruit’, something that we can achieve more quickly, not easy, but faster to generate economic value if supported by a pristine Indonesia and also better and more open connectivity to tourist destinations for the public, including foreign tourists,” he concluded.