President Widodo, in the presence of State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno, Public Works and Housing Minister Basoeki Hadimoeljono, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, and North Sumatra Governor Erry Nuradi, pressed a siren at the Kualanamu highway gate to inaugurate the highways on Friday.
At the inauguration, President Widodo expressed hope that the peoples mobility would increase once the highways became operational later.
If mobility is improved and transportation is made easier, various products would become cheaper, as the transport cost would reduce.
As a result, Indonesia has lagged behind other countries that offer cheaper prices due to better infrastructure.
According to the president, his side is already aware of the land acquisition issues that have delayed the construction of several sections of the highway in North Sumatra.
For the Medan-Binjai highway, the first section stretching from Tanjung Mulia to Sei Semayang and covering a distance of some 3.3 kilometers, is on a piece of land owned by an individual.
The same issue is being encountered for constructing the 7th section from Sei Rampah to Tebing Tinggi, stretching some 10.15 kilometers, and the 3.2-kilometer section from Kualanamu to Tebing Tinggi.
The president urged North Sumatras local Police Department and High Court to support the highway program and help solve the land issue.
"Please adopt a proper approach. This is not just for ones interests but also for the people," the president said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
