"I hope the toll road would be finished on time. I entrust the construction of the project to the consortium of State-owned Enterprises (SOEs)," the House Speaker said here on Thursday.
He stated that the SOEs, which form the consortium through an assignment, included PT Pembangunan Perumahan (PP), PT Waskita Karya, PT Wijaya Karya and PT Adhi Karya.
Novanto also appreciated President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) for directly checking the progress of the toll road development.
"The construction of the toll road has been running well, and it seems that the project could be finished on time," he added.
This has happened thanks to the synergy among the SOEs, the government and the House in its capacity as the supervisor, he stated.
Novanto affirmed that his side will support the progress of the toll road development, including its budget, so that the project would run smoothly for the interest of the people and the state.
"The construction of the toll road is for the interest of the peoples prosperity and for the acceleration of development in Sumatra," the House Speaker remarked.
Regarding the budget for the development of the toll road, Novanto said some Rp13 trillion of the Rp23 trillion budget still has to be made available. The government, through the minister of finance, is expected to settle and maximize the funding of the toll road project.
The Houses commissions will also discuss available funds for the project. "We will in the near future discuss it with the finance minister and the Houses budgetary body," he asserted.
The first phase of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road spans 140.41 kilometers from Bakauheni, South Lampung, to Terbanggi Besar, Central Lampung.
It is part of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road project. The ground-breaking of its construction was done by Jokowi on April 30, 2015. It is expected to be completed before the holding of the Asian Games in 2018.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
