No repairs for Palembang roads

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: Despite serious damage at several crucial junctures on major transportation routes in the province, the provincial administration said it had no plans to make repairs due to a shortage of funds.

"It's true we haven't done any repairs yet, because we are short on funds", Governor Rosihan Arsyad said on Wednesday.

He claimed that the upkeep alone of major highways in the province needed at least Rp 190 million a year while the central government had only subsidized about Rp 13 million.

For the past four months the condition of two major roads -- connecting Palembang-Jambi and Palembang-Lampung -- has been steadily deteriorating.

Due to the increasing number of potholes commuters say that the five-hour journey on the Palembang-Jambi route can now take as long as 10 hours. (33)