"We hope that land acquisition for the Lampung section (Bakauheni to Terbanggi Besar) of the JTTS project would be finished in March 2017," Adeham, chairman of the JTTS Acceleration Team, stated here on Wednesday.
He noted that Lampung Province is focusing on completing the land acquisition process for the toll road project by mid-March.
Last month, House Speaker Setya Novanto had expressed hope that the construction of the Lampung section of the JTTS would be completed before the Asian Games in 2018.
"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 remarked here on Thursday.
He stated that the SOEs forming the consortium include PT Pembangunan Perumahan, PT Waskita Karya, PT Wijaya Karya, and PT Adhi Karya.
Novanto also lauded President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) for directly reviewing the progress of the toll road project.
"The construction of the toll road has been running well, and it seems that the project would be finished on time," he noted.
Synergy among the SOEs, government, and House, in its capacity as the supervisor, has made this possible, he pointed out.
Novanto affirmed that his side will support the progress of the toll road development, including its budget, so that the project will run smoothly in the interest of the people and the state.
"The construction of the toll road aims to boost the peoples prosperity and accelerate 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 had yet to be made available. The government, through the finance minister, is expected to settle and maximize the funding for the toll road project.
The Houses commissions will also discuss the available funds for the project.
"We will, in the near future, discuss it with the finance minister and the Houses budgetary body," he emphasized.
The first phase of the JTTS spans 140.41 kilometers from Bakauheni, South Lampung, to Terbanggi Besar, Central Lampung.
It is part of the JTTS project. The groundbreaking for its construction was done by Jokowi on April 30, 2015. It is expected to be completed before the 2018 Asian Games.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
