Highway project accelerated

BENGKULU, South Sumatra: The authorities are accelerating the construction of the Bengkulu trans highway to end the isolation of many small villages.

Rachmat Rani, chief of the Bengkulu Public Works Office, said the highway will also facilitate the distribution of cement produced in Batu Raja, from the Bengkulu port to many cities in the province, the Antara news agency reported.

Currently, the cement sacks had to be shipped out to Panjang Lampung in the south and then transported back by road to areas near Bengkulu, the Antara news agency reported.

The highway, which is 36 percent completed, will benefit PT Semen Batu Raja because it will be easier for them to obtain their raw materials, Rachmat said. (arf)