Central Java Provincial Road Repair Budget Slashed Drastically, Blora's Damaged Roads Remain Neglected

The Head of Central Java’s Public Works and Spatial Planning (PUPR) Office, Henggar Budi Anggoro, stated that the provincial road maintenance and repair budget has decreased drastically this year, resulting in suboptimal repair efforts across the region. Henggar’s statement follows a protest by residents of Randublatung District, Blora Regency, over the damage to the Randublatung-Cepu Road on Sunday. During the action, residents planted banana trees in potholes scattered at several points along the route. He acknowledged monitoring the protest and respects the residents’ actions. Henggar said his office would soon initiate a tender for repairs on that road section. However, he admitted that the Central Java provincial government’s maintenance and repair budget has shrunk significantly this year. “Overall, the Central Java Provincial Government’s budget allocation for handling road sections is approximately IDR 320 billion,” he said. This budget must be divided among all provincial roads in Central Java, which total 2,440.12 kilometres. He revealed that compared to last year, the budget has fallen sharply, as the 2025 allocation was nearly IDR 1 trillion. “One reason is that regional transfer funds have also declined sharply. There is roughly IDR 1.5 trillion less for the Central Java Provincial Government,” Henggar stated. The budget constraints hinder the province from optimising road maintenance and repairs. Responding to the protests, Henggar said he had discussed the Randublatung-Cepu Road repairs with Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi. He confirmed the province has allocated IDR 5.2 billion for repairing the 7.5-kilometre road, of which 2.6 kilometres are severely damaged. He acknowledged the allocated funds will not be sufficient to repair all the damage at once. “We will try to calculate later. It might be that the budget is only enough for 500, 600, or 700 metres,” he said, noting the repair project tender will be conducted soon. Henggar said the Randublatung-Cepu Road is one of the prioritised provincial roads for repair and admitted it has been in disrepair for a considerable time.