With Bismillahirahmannirrahim (In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful), I this morning inaugurate the Serang-Panimbang Section I toll roadJakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the 26.5-kilometer-long Serang-Rangkasbitung Toll Road, the first section of the Serang-Panimbang Toll Road.
“With Bismillahirahmannirrahim (In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful), I, this morning, inaugurate the Serang-Panimbang Section I toll road,” Jokowi stated at the Rangkasbitung toll gate, Banten Province, on Tuesday.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, Banten Governor Wahidin Halim, Lebak District Head Iti Octavia Jayabaya and other related officials witnessed the inauguration.
“Now Alhamdulillah (Thank God), the Serang-Rangkasbitung lane of the Serang-Panimbang Section I toll road has already been built and is ready to be operated. Construction will then continue of Section II of the 24-kilometer-long Rangkasbitung-Cileles lane and the 33-kilometer-long Cileles-Panimbang lane that will be completed Insya Allah (by God’s will) by 2023,” he expounded.
Toll road is one of the infrastructures, built by the government, that can potentially be Indonesia’s foundation to compete with other countries, according to the head of state.
Related news: Pekanbaru-Dumai toll road beneficial to local economy: Deputy FM
“I mean what we are pursuing is our competitiveness. It is impossible for one country to outdo the other nations if its competitiveness index is still lower. This is because for anything without infrastructure, the goods’ prices will be higher, and that is what we are pursuing,” he stressed.
With the presence of infrastructure, manufactured goods in the country can be better distributed, thereby making them cheaper, he emphasized.
“It means that infrastructure improves the logistic networks,” he highlighted.
In addition, infrastructure will create sources of economic growth that facilitate easy distribution of the goods, including in Banten, he remarked.
“(Infrastructure) helps facilitate people, agriculture, and farms to produce. It is a way to help consumers so as to make the process easy and the most important aspect is that by building a road, as many jobs as possible can be created,” he emphasized.
Related news: Expect Cisumdawu toll road to be ready by year end: minister
The Serang-Panimbang toll road will connect four districts and towns in Banten Province comprising Serang City and the districts of Serang, Lebak, and Pandeglang.
The toll road was constructed under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.
Toll Road Corporation (BUJT), through PT Wijaya Karya Serang Panimbang, as subsidiary of PT Wijaya Karya, is handling the work of the first and second sections, while the government is in charge of the Section 3.
Related news: Solo-YIA road expected to have positive economic impact: minister
The total investment value for the Serang-Panimbang toll road reaches Rp9.934 trillion.
The 88.76-kilometer-long Serang-Panimbang toll road comprises three sections: Section 1 of the 26.5-kilometer Serang-Rangkasbitung toll road that has been fully completed; Section 2 of the 24.17-kilometer Rangkasbitung-Cileles toll road and Section 3 of the 33-kilometer Cileles-Panimbang that is still under construction.
Related news: Indonesia, New Zealand affirm importance of equal access to vaccines
Related news: Indonesia's COVID-19 vaccinations top WHO target
Translator: Desca Lidya, Juwita Trisna
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
