Tito Demands Massive Acceleration of Permanent Housing Construction in Central Tapanuli
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Sumatra Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Task Force (Satgas PRR) is pushing for the accelerated construction of permanent housing (huntap) to provide housing certainty for communities who lost their homes or suffered heavy damage due to disasters.
“We want those affected, whose houses were lost or heavily damaged, to have their permanent housing built immediately. This is so they can have peace of mind, knowing that the government is present. We will continue to push this forward,” said the Chairman of the Sumatra Post-Disaster PRR Task Force, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, in a statement received in Jakarta.
Tito made these remarks following an inspection of the progress of permanent housing construction in Central Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on Thursday.
In addition to the construction of permanent housing, the PRR Task Force will also ensure that roads, water, electricity, and regional infrastructure are available so that the residences can be occupied immediately.
The construction of permanent housing in Central Tapanuli is being carried out through several schemes. The in-situ scheme involves rebuilding houses at the original locations that have been declared safe.
Meanwhile, the ex-situ scheme is implemented in new, safer locations. Additionally, communal permanent housing is being built centrally within a single area equipped with supporting infrastructure.
Housing through the in-scale and ex-situ schemes is being handled by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). Meanwhile, the construction of communal permanent housing is being carried out by the Ministry of Housing and Residential Areas (PKP).
Tito requested that the construction managed by the BNPB move quickly from the pilot stage to massive implementation in accordance with the programme.
“I want this to be done massively. I heard that three are being built as examples. These are just examples. The examples are good, but we must not let this year pass without work being done. Whatever is in the programme must be executed,” he said.
This acceleration is necessary so that the community does not have to wait too long to obtain safe and decent housing. The prepared programmes must immediately enter the construction phase and be completed according to the 2026 implementation target.
In addition to construction by the BNPB and the Ministry of PKP, the provision of communal permanent housing in Central Tapanuli also receives support from the Buddha Tzu Chi Indonesia Foundation.
While the house buildings in the area have been completed, they cannot be used immediately because several infrastructure elements under the responsibility of the local government still need to be finalised.
“The issues regarding roads and the environment, which are the responsibility of the local government, as well as water and electricity issues, fall under the local government’s responsibility. As for the building construction, that is the responsibility of Buddha Tzu Chi. Buddha Tzu Chi is ready; it is finished,” said Tito.
The infrastructure that needs to be completed urgently includes access roads, environmental planning, water supply, electricity, and drainage systems. Tito requested that the local government accelerate these works so that the permanent housing can be handed over and occupied by the community.
“I saw earlier that it is not yet finished, which is why I am pushing for it. We will return in October, and it must be completed,” he said.