Remember Jokowi's Message, Minister Of PUPR Basuki Wants More Quality, Smart, And Environmentally Friendly Infrastructure

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) has three focuses on infrastructure development planning in 2023. These include improving the quality of infrastructure development, focusing on OPOR (optimization, maintenance, operation, and rehabilitation), and focusing on priority programs.

"I want to reiterate President Joko Widodo's message on the 76th Public Works Service Day, that in the future we must build more quality infrastructure, which is smart and environmentally friendly, which opens access and improves connectivity between regions, connectivity between regions, and increase efficiency and increase productivity to realize an Advanced Indonesia," said PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono in a written statement quoted by Antara, Friday, February 18.

For example, Minister Basuki mentioned the handling of damaged roads in the Liang Melas Datas area in Karo Regency, North Sumatra which is being carried out by the PUPR Ministry in response to the aspirations of citrus farmers in Karo Regency.

“This is what is meant by connecting the national road to the production road. One of these things should be prioritized apart from connecting to industrial areas. So that what we do benefits the community directly," he said.

Efforts to realize quality infrastructure must start from meeting the readiness criteria and quality planning. So it's not just proposing a program. Supervision must also be more stringent to ensure quality.

Minister Basuki added, for the second development focus that the PUPR Ministry will carry out is to pay greater attention to priority activities for infrastructure that have been built, including "Operation, Maintenance, Optimization, and Rehabilitation" or OPOR for short.

"All infrastructure that has been built must be put into operation immediately, not only operated but also maintained like the markets that have been built by the PUPR Ministry," he said.

Next is optimization to complete and provide benefits from the infrastructure that has been built. For example, if a raw water supply infrastructure with a capacity of 200 liters/second has been built and now it is only being used at 50 liters/second, then don't build a new one, optimize the existing one first.

"Finally, rehabilitation is aimed at infrastructure that has reached a certain construction age or infrastructure affected by disasters, so that its functions are returned to normal, such as irrigation rehabilitation to increase cropping intensity again," said Minister Basuki.

Finally, according to Minister Basuki, the third focus of the PUPR Ministry is in accordance with the direction of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) to prioritize support for 118 areas developed in 2023.

"Don't forget that we are also directed by the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture to help deal with extreme poverty, through the construction of infrastructure such as housing and sanitation," he said.