Gov’t to Take Over Abandoned Toll Road Projects: President Jokowi

President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo responds to reporters’ questions after inspecting Cimanggis-Cibitung Toll Road Section 1A, on Tuesday (21/6)

The Government will take over the concessions of toll roads that have not been built yet from the private sectors.

The instruction was delivered by President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo due to many abandoned toll projects that have not been constructed yet, including Bogor-Ciawi-Sukabumi (Bocimi), Cimanggis-Cibitung, and Bekasi-Kampung Melayu (Becakayu) Toll Roads.

“We (the Government) took over the projects because the private sectors have never started the project. Although the Government has given concessions to private sectors; since they did not construct the road, the Government took it over. The most important thing is that the Government took over the projects and the construction has begun,” President Jokowi said in his working visit to inspect the construction of Cimanggis-Cibitung Toll Road Section 1A site on Tuesday (21/6), in Cimanggis, Depok.

For the record, the construction of Cimanggis-Cibitung Toll Road which the concessions was already given to the private sectors in 2006 has not started yet, therefore the Government took it over in 2015.

According to the President, from the total of 26 km in land acquisition only 0.7-percent that is done.

However, the President hopes the land acquisition process can be done immediately because the Government has allocated Rp1.5 trillion budget.

“We hope there are no problems in land acquisition, and the project which has just started in 2015 can be finished by 2018,” the President added.

Also on that occasion, the President said that the project is still carried on though there is landowner lawsuit because the interest of millions of people must come first than interest of one or two people. Moreover, the project aims to tackle traffic congestion that is worsening.

Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Rini Soemarno, and Presidential Spokesperson Johan Budi SP also attended the event. (JAY/UN/ES) (RAS/EP/YM/Naster)