3 Regents In South Sulawesi Report Land Acquisition For The Completed KA Project

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi (second left) together with South Sulawesi Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman (third left) inspect the progress of the Makassar-Parepare railway line construction in Barru Regency, Saturday, (28/5/2022). ANTARA/HO-South Sulawesi Provincial Government

MAKASSAR - Three regents reported to the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi and South Sulawesi Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman regarding the completion of land acquisition for residents in their respective areas affected by the railroad construction project.

The three are regional heads whose areas are traversed by rail, namely the Regent of Maros Chaidir Syam, the Regent of Pangkep, Muh Yusran Lalogau, and the Regent of Barru, Suardi Saleh.

Muhammad Yusran Lalogau in his statement in Makassar, Saturday, May 28, said the achievement of 100 percent land acquisition.

As stated by the governor, there is land belonging to the Regional Government that must be released or handed over to the Railways Office.

"God willing, I will hand it over to Balai for follow-up, so the local government assets, especially in our district, have all been resolved," said Yusran.

Meanwhile, the Regent of Maros, Chaidir Syam, reported that the issue of land acquisition in Maros has also been completed.

"We in Maros Regency have completed the land issue, everything is clear and we are happy that the entire Provincial Forkopimda and all these components continue to work together and everything is resolved, so that development is already underway," he said.

Likewise with the Regent of Barru, Suardi Saleh, conveyed that the intense coordination with the Provincial Government and the Railways Office on land acquisition issues can be resolved and there are no problems at this time.

The Minister of Transportation also appreciated this and thanks to the coordination steps taken, including with the South Sulawesi Provincial Government.

"This (land acquisition) is safe, the governor is top, the regent is top, we will collaborate, God willing, in October 2022," said Budi Karya Sumadi.

Budi Karya Sumadi said this meeting was a sign of good cooperation and that he, as the minister of money, helped the president ensure that this project went well.

“For the Makassar-Parepare Railway, I have been overseeing the project for six years with all the sorrows and sorrows. Alhamdulillah, the cooperation is getting better. Our first target is to operate passenger trains as far as 70 KM (Maros to Barru)," he said.

Second, the target as a logistics train, is expected to be operational in 2023. For logistics transportation, for example, cement is good for its production needs which require coal for combustion as well as transporting cement to ports.

The route is Maros - Pangkep - Barru (Garongkong Harbor). Garongkong Port will be managed by PT Pelindo, while the train will be operated by PT KAI in collaboration with regional companies (Perseroda).

The Makassar-Parepare railway line is targeted for completion in 2024.

Meanwhile, President Director of PT KAI (Persero) Didiek Hartantyo, stated that the key to the success of the rail system is integration and connectivity. So access to stations needs to be opened and integration between modes has to be built. Because train passengers come and go to the station using other modes of transportation.

“When this is established, it will build value for the community and will have an economic impact. This includes land transportation, integration with the area, be it factories or ports. With this connectivity, it will reduce laoding costs so that goods transportation will be efficient," he said.

Meanwhile, the Strategy Director of PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Persero), Prasetyo said, Pelindo had made plans regarding the facilities or equipment to be operated at the Garongkong Port once it received the delegation of operations from the Ministry of Transportation.

We have also compiled an investment program for short, medium and long term. So it is very potential to integrate between the Ports of Garongkong, Makassar and Parepare.