PUPR Ministry Reveals IKN Infrastructure Readiness Ahead of August 17 Ceremony

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is confirmed to lead the 79th Indonesian Independence Day ceremony in the Indonesian Capital City (IKN), East Kalimantan. So, how is the readiness of the IKN infrastructure ahead of the independence ceremony on August 17?

Head of the IKN Infrastructure Development Planning Task Force of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), Imam Santoso Ernawi, stated that a number of infrastructure for the August 17 commemoration ceremony will be functionally ready by the end of July.

"For the August 17 activities, we will activate the functional rooms that will be used for activities there," said Imam in an online press conference, Thursday, July 11.

In detail, by the end of July, most of the rooms in the State Palace will be functional, such as the main rooms in the Palace, the ceremonial field, and the podium for the flag ceremony, all of which will be 100 percent functional and ready to be used for the August 17 ceremony.

"So, this July is indeed the month that we call test and commissioning or trial month so that August is clean. If the functional target for August starts from the Palace, the ceremonial field, the Presidential Office, all of this is expected to be this July. Now almost all of it, yes, the Garuda blades will also be completed by the end of July. All electrical components and so on for the functional building, we will complete all of them," he said.

Imam added, for the Presidential Secretariat building, such as the Paspampres mess, the fire department building, the guard post, the K9 building of the Polda Metro Satwa Unit are also the main ones to be completed by the PUPR Ministry.

Not only the State Palace area, Imam said, his party has also targeted to be functional on the 17th August commemoration, the Coordinating Ministry (Kemenko) buildings, ministerial landed houses, Civil Apparatus (ASN) housing and area planning. Like the Kemenko 1 building which by the end of July, as many as four towers will be functional.

"The capacity is approximately 519 ASNs can work there, because not all floors are finished. However, what we have completed is the first tower which will be functional with 3 floors, tower 2 has 3 floors, tower 3 has 3 floors, tower 4 has 3 floors. Each has a capacity of the number of people who can work on the 3 floors. We have prepared it by July," he said.

He also ensured that in the Kemenko 1 tower there is already an auditorium with a capacity of around 500 people, a canteen and a basement parking area that will be functional by the end of July.

"Likewise in Kemenko 2. If earlier the average was 3 floors, in Kemenko 2 in July we will only be able to complete the functionality of only 1 floor. Indeed in Kemenko 2 it is slower because the start was indeed later. Kemenko 2 only has one tower out of the 4 existing towers. But we are trying to make the package 6 floors here," he said.

"That can accommodate approximately 475 ASNs later," he continued.

Then, for the Coordinating Ministry (Kemenko) 3 building, several floors of the 4 towers will also function. Among them, tower 1 will function with 3 floors, tower 2 and tower 3 will only function with 2 floors and tower 4 will function with 3 floors.

"We will function all of this with the number of floors available. Likewise, Kemenko 4, of the 4 towers it will be functional. Tower 1 has 3 floors, tower 2 will have 1 floor, tower 3 has 3 floors and tower 4 has 3 floors," said Imam.

Later, said Imam, the towers of the Kemenko 1 and 3 buildings on August 17 will be partly used for holding areas or waiting rooms for VIP guests. The reason is, the Kemenko 1 and 3 buildings are the closest to the State Palace. "Later the holding will be below, on the ground floor," he continued.

Meanwhile, for the State Secretariat building, he continued, approximately 3 towers that stand each only have 4 floors that are functional, with a capacity of around 1,700 ASNs.

"We will prepare it in July, in case there is a holding or in other words there are guests, that is the policy of the celebration committee, yes. But, we are ready for approximately 4 floors. There is an auditorium and a large meeting room that is also functional," he said.

Furthermore, Imam also revealed the readiness of infrastructure related to ASN flats and ministerial landed houses ahead of the August 17 Ceremony. According to him, the ASN flats that are targeted to be functional on August 17 have 12 towers, of which 8 towers are for ASN and 4 towers for defense and security. Meanwhile, the ministerial landed houses out of 34 landed houses, for August 17, only 14 landed houses will be prepared.

"Now from the target of 14 that will be functional, 4 of them are ready to be functional. Including furniture, while the remaining 10 in the coming weeks will start to be filled (with furniture)," he concluded.