Facilitate Community Travel, Ministry Of PUPR Asked To Build Toll Roads From Pontianak To IKN

Chairman of Commission V DPR RI Lasarus. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Chairman of Commission V DPR RI Lasarus asked the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) to build toll roads from Pontianak, West Kalimantan, to the State Capital (IKN) Nusantara.

"For a long period of time, yes, we have to make it from east to west, from Pontianak to Balikpapan to IKN. We can build a toll road," said Lasarus when met after a working meeting at the DPR RI Building, Jakarta, Thursday, January 18.

Lasarus assessed that the construction of the toll road will facilitate the journey of people from Pontianak who want to go to IKN, so there is no need to take a plane.

"Now people have to take a plane to Jakarta first, from Jakarta to Pontianak or Jakarta to Samarinda, there are no direct flights," he said.

He added, for the West Kalimantan region itself, Lasarus suggested that there was a construction of a toll road from Pontianak-Kijing-Singkawang Port.

This, said Lasarus, was due to severe congestion in the area, coupled with an increasing population.

"Earlier, I told you that in Pontianak the traffic jams were already severe, there were no toll roads that didn't get stuck. We made toll roads, so there were toll roads that lost, right, that's what happened today," he said.

According to Lasarus, the development of toll roads on the island of Kalimantan itself will still be discussed further as needed.

"Building toll roads like we know today there are several State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) that want to go bankrupt when building toll roads, the construction of so many divestments sold only a few. Finally, there was a loss and then they wanted to go bankrupt, this should no longer happen in the future," he said.