REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LUMBIS OGONG -- The government said it will build 240 low cost houses in the North Kalimantan's district of Nunukan.

Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimoeljono said the houses would be built in the sub-district of Lumbis Ogong , a frontier area bordering on the Malaysian state of Sabah.

"Land is already available here, therefore, we would build the houses in this area," Basuki said after inspecting progress in the construction of a new road in Nunukan on Thursday.

He said the frontier area has many small villages located in widely separated places.

"The houses would be build near river and a new road is in the process of construction," he added.

The minister, however, did not say the status of the houses, whether they would be given free to the local people.

He did say that the houses would be for school teachers, health care officers, soldiers or police officers and civil servants assigned to that district area.

The sub-district area has 49 villages with a population of 4,700 . The closest city to that district is Malino that could be reached by a small aircraft or by river ferries that would take 12 hours to the city.

Basuki and his group came to that district using a military helicopter to inspect the progress made on the construction of a highway linking Mensalong, Binter and Tou Lumbis in the regency of Nunukan.

"This road is vital as there is no other access in highway to the sub-district areas," the minister said.

The road is around 146 kilometers long built with an estimated cost of Rp53 billion from the state budget.

So far local people rely more on river transports when visiting to other districts that will take long time when the weather is normal.

President Joko Widodo has promised to develop frontier areas including along the border between West Kalimantan and North Kalimantan with the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah.

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