Govt Proceeds with Rempang Eco City Project, Says Investment Minister
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18 September 2023 22:25 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia emphasized that the Rempang Eco City project on Rempang Island, Batam, Riau Islands, will continue for the interest of the people.
According to Bahlil, this investment is necessary to drive the economy and absorb the workforce. There will be many losses if this potential investment is not carried out.
“The total investment is more than Rp300 trillion. About Rp175 trillion for the first phase,” Bahlil said in a written statement on Monday, September 18, 2023. “If we let this go, it means the potential for regional income (PAD) and job creation for our brothers and sisters here [in Rempang] will be lost.”
Bahlil said the government is preparing new housing for 700 families affected by the first phase of the project on Rempang Island. The houses will be ready in the next six to seven months.
“First, the government has prepared 500 square meters of land per family, and secondly, a type 45 house worth about Rp120 million,” he explained.
In addition, the government will provide financial assistance and temporary housing while waiting for the new residences at Rp1.2 million per person and a house rental facility worth Rp1.2 million.
Rempang Eco City is a national strategic project that will be an integrated industrial, trade, and tourism area. The Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs launched the project on April 12, 2023. This project will be implemented by PT Makmur Elok Graha (MEG), with an investment target reaching Rp381 trillion in 2080.
The project, however, met with locals’ rejection. Conflicts arose between the joint security officers and Rempang residents who opposed the relocation. Meanwhile, the Batam Concession Agency (BP Batam) aimed to complete the first phase of the relocation by September 28, 2023.
A public policy observer from UPN Veteran Jakarta, Achmad Nur Hidayat, urged the government to review the permits granted to investors in the Rempang Eco City project on Rempang Island in order to ensure that there were no violations of applicable laws and regulations.
RIRI RAHAYU
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