REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SUKABUMI -- President Joko Widodo has ensured that the district of Sukabumi, West Java, will soon have its own airport, but he is keeping its exact location a secret.
He admitted to asking the district head of Sukabumi to keep the information confidential.
"With regard to the airport plans, I have asked the district head to make sure that the location for the airport is not leaked to the public," he said following the groundbreaking ceremony for the double-track railway in Sukabumi on Friday.
The president revealed that the government will soon start acquiring land for the airport and is concerned that if the chosen site is revealed to the public, land price speculators might come forward.
Moreover, he noted that the establishment of an airport would help improve the mobility of the people in Sukabumi, as well as benefit the area's economy.
The government is also building the transportation infrastructure in Sukabumi, with the Bogor-Ciawi-Sukabumi toll road (Bocimi) and the double-track railway for Sukabumi-Bogor.
"There are options indeed, and we no longer want the Bogor to Sukabumi journey to take 6 hours, or the trip from Soekarno-Hatta Airport to Sukabumi, which someone once told me could take up to 8 to 9 hours," he stated.
It is expected that the development of transportation infrastructure will support the mobility of those who wish to come to Sukabumi, an area with great tourism potential, while facilitating logistics for transporting agribusiness products from the area.
"Here is the alternative that has been offered to the community. Later, we will also establish the Bocimi toll road to ease the journey of those who wish to take their own cars; otherwise, they can ride the double-track railway, and with the Almighty's blessings, hopefully next year, we can execute the land clearing for the airport," the president remarked.
The government is targeting the completion of the airport by 2020.
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