All the funds stashed in the bank should be channeled for catering to the public needs and to accelerate housing developmentJakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has ordered his aides to accelerate the completion of post-quake rehabilitation and reconstruction in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), as it has missed the government-set deadline.
Jokowi made the statement at the opening of a meeting on the evaluation of post-quake rehabilitation and reconstruction in NTB, conducted via teleconference at the Bogor Presidential Palace in West Java on Tuesday.
In a live streaming video of the meeting uploaded on the Cabinet Secretary’s official Instagram account, the president stated that the earthquake that had caused destruction in NTB had hit in July 2018.
The government has issued Presidential Instruction No.5 of 2018 that has set the timeline for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the province severely damaged by the strong earthquake.
"The work on improving education, health, and religious facilities as well as the market to support the economy should be completed in December 2018 at the latest, while the rehabilitation and reconstruction of citizens' houses must be completed by December 2019," he stated.
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However, the reconstruction process had yet to be completed. As of March 2020, of the targeted 226,204 houses to be rebuilt, the authority has only completed the rehabilitation of 168,684 houses while work on the remaining 40 thousand is still underway.
"Hence, I need to a see report on this since based on the data that I received, some funds are still saved in the bank," the president remarked, adding that East Lombok still has Rp72 billion of funding and North Lombok, Rp63 billion, in the bank.
Jokowi has ordered the fund to be promptly distributed among members of the public.
"All the funds stashed in the bank should be channeled for catering to the public needs and to accelerate housing development," Jokowi added.
On 5 August 2018, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake had hit the island of Lombok, Indonesia. It was followed by a nearby 6.9-earthquake that struck on August 19, 2018.
The epicenter was located inland, near Loloan Village in North Lombok Regency. The fault rupture spread to the north and reached the sea, creating tsunamis. Severe tremors was reported across the entire island, while strong tremors were reported in the neighboring islands of Bali and Sumbawa.
Widespread damage was reported in Lombok and Bali. Officials stated that at least 80 percent of the structures in North Lombok were damaged or destroyed. In the aftermath of the sequence of earthquakes in August, a total of 563 people were confirmed killed while over a thousand were confirmed to have incurred injuries. More than 417 thousand people were displaced.
It was the largest and strongest earthquake to have hit Lombok in recorded history. With over 560 deaths, it is also the deadliest earthquake in the Lesser Sunda Islands since the 1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami.
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Translator: Rangga Pandu AJ, Sri Haryati
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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