PRESIDENT JOKOWI DISTRIBUTES Rp800 BILLION FOR LAMPUNG INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT

The Lampung area has recently been in the public spotlight. This occurrence was triggered by the poor inadequate road infrastructure. Since the road infrastructure has not been repaired, many residents in Lampung are worried about the ongoing road damage. This situation disrupts community activities, especially the livelihood of the majority of Lampung residents in the agricultural sector.

The Provincial Government of Lampung is known to have repaired a badly damaged road on May 1, 2023. The Simpang Randu-Rumbia junction in Central Lampung is one of the roads being repaired. However, the road has not been repaired for three days and has been damaged again. It is suspected that the damage to this road was due to the rain that fell on Thursday, May 4 2023 evening.

President Jokowi went to Lampung Province to find out how badly the road was damaged after hearing a lot of bad news about the road’s infrastructure. On 5 May 2023, President Jokowi paid a visit to Lampung Province. This visit was carried out to check the infrastructure in the area. Jokowi inspected the infrastructure after it was widely discussed on social media.

Source: Liputan6.com

He said that currently collecting data, regency and city roads, and provincial roads were badly damaged. Because the existing budget in the province, regency, and city does not direct much toward infrastructure development. In addition, Jokowi stressed the importance of regional infrastructure development. This is so that the wheels of the economy run well.

After carrying out direct inspections on several damaged roads in Lampung Province using presidential vehicles. The first road sections to be reviewed included Ryacudu Canal Street, Seputih Raman Street, Seputih Banyak Street, and Simpang Randu Street.

As a result, President Jokowi and the central government through the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), will immediately repair several damaged roads in Lampung Province. The construction phase will start in June 2023, after the completion of the bidding process, and the central government will specifically allocate a budget of around 800 billion for the repair of 15 road sections.

According to Jokowi, each road section has its responsibilities, the central government for national roads, governors for provincial roads, and regents/mayors for district/city roads. But because the roads have long been badly damaged, they will be taken over by the central government. Other provinces will also receive this budget assistance from the central government. Jokowi wants all levels of government to provide the best service to the community, which means building good infrastructure. because the central, provincial, and district/city governments all have responsibilities in this regard.

Reviewing the 2023 Regional Expenditure Budget (APBD) for the Lampung Provincial Government (Pemprov), it was recorded that Rp750 billion had been allocated to repair 14 roads.

The Provincial Government of Lampung reported that the length of the roads under the province’s authority is 1,693.273 kilometers long, consisting of 99 road sections and spread across 15 regencies and cities throughout Lampung Province as stipulated in the Governor of Lampung Decree Number: G/243.a/III. 09/H/2016. (AKR/TB)