New road wrecked in a month

New road wrecked in a month

JAKARTA (JP): The road connecting Lemah Abang and Pasir Tanjung districts in Bekasi, about 30 kilometers east of here, has deteriorated a month after its completion.

The damage leaves two rural villages, Pasir Tanjung and Pasir Gembong isolated from its surrounding villages.

A resident of Pasir Tanjung, Abidin, said that the asphalt crust peeled off only a week after it was finished, exposing the rocks that make up the foundation of the road.

Three weeks thereafter, pot holes emerged and the recent floods from the nearby Cibe'et river have exacerbated the situation, he told Republika daily.

The road, the building contract for which went to CV Sinar Putra, has at least three seriously damaged segments covering up to 20 meters in length each.

Residents said they suspect foul play in the construction process.

"It seemed that the road was built by different contractors at different times," said Abidin.

Others said they suspect that deviations from the road building plan have occurred.

Abdul Manan, the speaker of the Regency Legislative Council said building plan deviation cases are quite common in Bekasi.

"I hope the government will take firm action against delinquent developers," Manan said.

However, Agus Juhara, an official from the Bekasi regency office said he doubted that there had been any violations of the road building plan.

"I inspected the area, and saw no deviation from the plan," Juhara told Republika.

Bekasi's regent is scheduled to dedicate the road concurrently with the Cipamingkis bridge in Cibarusah district soon, a Bekasi regency public relations staff member said. (14)