"The construction of infrastructure of the capital city will begin in mid-2020, as its design will be decided and chalked out in detail, which is targeted for completion within six months," Jokowi remarked during a visit to Pemaluan Village, Sepaku Sub-district, North Penajam Paser District, East Kalimantan, on Tuesday afternoon.
The planned capital city will be divided into three areas, notably the core administration area, capital city area, and expanded capital city area.
The location of the would-be state palace has yet to be decided by the architects drafting the development design of the capital city, according to the head of state.
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Jokowi arrived at the Sudharmono Tower inside the PT ITCI Manunggal industrial forestry area in North Penajam Paser, the location of the next capital city, at 4:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday in the company of seven ministers, East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor, and North Penajam Paser District Head Abdul Gafur Mas'ud.
The seven ministers were Cabinet Secretary Promono Anung, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, State Enterprises Minister Erick Tohir, Environmental Affairs and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya, National Development Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa, Agrarian and Land Spatial Minister Sofyan Djalil, and Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono.
The location of the next capital city is believed to be not far from the Sudharmono Tower area.
Holding an umbrella to shield from the rain, Jokowi and the entourage enjoyed the view of the forest area surrounding the tower.
Djalil remarked that the new capital city will be surrounded by forest and has a forest landscape to mirror the identity of East Kalimantan, known for its tropical rainforest.
"The 256,000-ha capital city area will really become a forest area reflecting the actual Kalimantan," the minister remarked.
Jokowi has decided that the next capital city to replace Jakarta will be located in the districts of North Penajam Paser and Kutai kartanegara in East Kalimantan Province.
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Translator: Novi Abdi, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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