Tangerang Prison trains inmates to produce high-quality building materials

In Bekasi Regency (ANTARA) - Inmates of Tangerang Class I Correctional Institution are being trained to acquire skills to produce quality building materials, on Tuesday. The building materials come from fly ash bottom ash (faba), a residue from steam power plants (PLTU) that is converted by inmates into foundation-strengthening building materials. The head of Tangerang Class I Prison, Beni Hidayat, said the initiative is intended so that the inmates possess capabilities and skills in the field of building construction. As such, he hopes the inmates will have a skill base to work after serving their prison terms. Beni explained that during the training process, the prison works with several parties. “We have engaged the PLTU for training in production of construction products. Then there is TOT (training of trainers) from senior inmates who already have this expertise,” said Beni. After training, the inmates are given the opportunity to directly participate in producing faba into building materials. According to Beni, the building materials made by the inmates’ hands have proven to be of good quality because they have been used by several parties, one of them for the construction of the staff housing at Kemenimipas in the Casa de Prima housing complex. “To support the ASN housing programme, we will present products from Tangerang Class I Prison,” he said. He explained that the faba-processed building materials will be formed into construction blocks. To meet the needs of one ASN house type 36, 146 block panels need to be produced. “As of now, the construction of the ASN house using faba blocks is still underway,” he added. Beni hopes the construction process runs smoothly and that the faba production from the prison will last. Meanwhile, a representative of Kreasi Purnama Properti, the developer, Niko Fernando, explained that the quality of the building materials produced by Tangerang Class I Prison inmates is quite good. He noted that using faba-based blocks makes the building foundation easier to construct and speeds up the workmanship. Niko also confirmed that the durability of buildings based on faba is strong enough to support a house. “This is a very good programme, in my view, to support us as a developer partner, especially in terms of the material and in financing aspects,” said Niko.