Support ASEAN Summit 2023, Ministry Of PUPR Completes Labuan Bajo-Tanamori Road Development

Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono (center). Photo: Doc. Ministry of PUPR

JAKARTA - Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono accompanied President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to open the 2023 ASEAN Indonesia Kick Off on Motor Vehicle Free Day (HBKB) Jakarta, Sunday, January 29.

Related to this, the Ministry of PUPR is currently completing the improvement and construction of a new road from Labuan Bajo to Tanamori in West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, to support the connectivity of the ASEAN Summit venue.

The construction of 25 km of Labuan Bajo-Tanamori access, covering the Labuan Bajo-Simpang Nalis-Kenari-Tanamori Section, along with four bridges with a total length of 175 meters.

Basuki said that the construction of roads and bridges has been carried out since January 2022 under the responsibility of the NTT National Road Implementation Agency (BPJN), the Director General of Highways of the Ministry of PUPR, as well as the implementing contractors PT Wijaya Karya and PT Yodya Karya.

"The construction budget comes from the APBN worth Rp481 billion with the current physical progress reaching 97.26 percent," he said in a press statement, quoted Monday, January 30.

In addition to connectivity, the Ministry of PUPR also built an Embung Anak Menunting between Labuan Bajo and Tanamori in Warloka Village, Komodo District.

"The Embung Anak Menunting has a capacity of 159,481.10 m3 and an inundation area of 4.5 hectares with a main function of conservation and support tourism in the Labuan Bajo Super Priority Tourism Destination (DPSP) in the context of implementing the ASEAN Summit," explained Basuki.

The Ministry of PUPR has also completed the Waterfront Marina Area which was inaugurated by President Jokowi in July 2022 and Puncak Waringin which was inaugurated in October 2021.

The two areas are also planned to be used as venues for a series of ASEAN Summit events in Labuan Bajo.

The momentum of Indonesia's chairmanship needs to be prepared optimally with efforts to strengthen domestic coordination, including infrastructure support for the ASEAN Summit implementation venue which is planned to be held in May 2023.

As a joint commitment to make Indonesia a success as Chair of ASEAN, Minister of PUPR Basuki Hadimuljono and Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, and Minister of SOEs Erick Thohir, also visited the Labuan Bajo area, on January 27.