Jokowi Orders the Completion of Facilities for Sinabung Victims
2 July 2015 17:22 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has ordered his Ministers to complete the supporting facilities for some 370 families which had been relocated from their homes on Mount Sinabung.
During a cabinet hearing held at the President's office on Thursday, the President said that 130 homes have been finished, and that by August all 370 houses should be completed - although none of the homes have yet to have access to neither electricity nor water at this stage.
As such, the President have ordered for the completion of the supporting facilities for the houses - ordering the Minister for State Owned Enterprises (SoE) and the Executive Director for the state electricity company, PT PLN to get a move on.
"I have asked the SoE Minister and PLN to connect those homes to the power grid," said Jokowi, as he is commonly known, after the session, before adding that the homes must be connected by August.
It is known that the hearing mainly discussed the handling and mitigation efforts relating to Mount Sinabung's most recent eruption. President Jokowi said that the approach towards the disaster must be revised, considering the long-term and oersisting nature of the volcanic activity.
"According to the information I received from the Centre for Volcanic and Seismological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) Agency, the latest eruptive series could last up to five years. As a result, we need to re-new our approach into the disaster, in order to provide the most accurate response as possible to those affected by the disaster," said Jokowi.
"Residents are increasingly becoming less welcoming to the teams that we have dispatched to monitor the disaster. If all that we can do is dispatch temporary aid, I will cease my visits - the Social Affairs Minister should go instead," said Jokowi.
It is known that Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Gen. Moeldoko, and Chief of the Indonesian Police (Polri) Gen. Badrodin Haiti, were among those who were invited to attend the meeting, in addition to several other high-ranking officials.
ANTARANEWS