North Kalimantan receives additional Rp30 billion budget for Krayan road construction
Tanjung Selor, North Kalimantan (ANTARA) - North Kalimantan Governor Zainal A Paliwang said the construction of a border road in Krayan, Nunukan Regency, has received an additional budget of Rp30 billion from the Ministry of Public Works (PU).
“God willing, there has been an addition. The information I received is that there is an addition of around Rp30 billion for the Krayan area,” said Zainal Paliwang in Tanjung Selor, North Kalimantan, on Thursday.
The governor conveyed news of the additional budget when asked whether there had been a report on the results of an audience held by the North Kalimantan Provincial Government with the Ministry of Public Works in Jakarta regarding the handling of the border road in Krayan.
Zainal said the provincial government, together with the North Kalimantan and Nunukan Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) and other relevant parties, had held an audience with the Ministry of Public Works and proposed that the Krayan Ring Road section be paved with aggregate surfacing alone, in order to achieve functionality quickly and cover a longer stretch of road.
“Initially the Ministry of Public Works’ requirement was indeed asphalt. But we asked at the time for aggregate only, but the ministry would not allow a change. Perhaps only the width could be reduced,” he said.
Because the surfacing could not be changed to aggregate, Zainal said the solution offered by the Ministry of Public Works was to reduce the road’s width so that its length could be increased.
“For example, if the width is six metres, it becomes four metres. Then the length is increased, for instance from three kilometres it could become five to six kilometres with that reduction in width,” he said.
Asked whether the Ministry of Public Works indeed could not change the requirement from asphalt to aggregate, Zainal stressed it could not, because there are rules and provisions from the ministry.
“It cannot be (aggregate). It must be asphalt. It must be asphalt, and we can only ask to increase the length, with the width reduced,” he said.
Regarding the additional budget of Rp30 billion, Zainal explained that this is a separate budget from the Ministry of Public Works, not included in the Rp150 billion in assistance announced by Finance Minister Purbaya.
“That is separate from the Rp150 billion from the Finance Minister; this is indeed the Ministry of Public Works’ commitment to help the people of Krayan,” he said.
As with the budget provided by the Finance Minister, Zainal said the funds will go to the National Road Implementation Centre (BPJN), not to the North Kalimantan Provincial Government.
“The budget goes directly to the road implementation centre again. Everything goes through the centre. We only coordinate with the head of the centre,” said the governor.
As to whether this additional budget will be included in the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN), the governor hopes at the very least the budget can be included in the revised budget so that it can be implemented immediately.
“We hope it will be in the revision, and we are not staying idle for Krayan. Not only for Krayan, but all border areas in North Kalimantan, including Apau Kayan and other border areas, we are fighting for,” he said.