By: Juki
The amount of government attention to Papua today is a momentum for Papuans to change and achieve progress. The central government pays great attention to development in Papua, including infrastructure development, such as roads, railways, airports, and seaports. Some are done, in process, and in the planning.
In the terrestrial infrastructure sector, the government is targeting all districts in Papua Province to be connected or crossed by land routes by 2018, beginning with the completion of the Wamena-Nduga route of approximately 170 km. Some of the infrastructure projects that have been completed and are very beneficial to the people of Papua, among others, Wamena Airport terminal and Kaimana Airport has been inaugurated by President Jokowi.
The government policy to establish the Committee for the Acceleration of Infrastructure Provision Priority (KPPIP) in 2014, is so that the committee to lead the coordination of the acceleration of priority infrastructure and encourage the quality improvement of project preparation through OBC Guide. The policy is also supported by the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) to continue to support the acceleration of infrastructure development in West Papua as stipulated in two Strategic Development Areas (WPS) namely WPS 31 Sorong-Manokwari and WPS 32 Manokwari-Bintuni.
In 2017, the PUPR Ministry has budgeted at least Rp 2.23 trillion for infrastructure development in support of food security, connectivity, and housing in West Papua Province. Currently, several strategic infrastructures have been completed, while others are still in the process of completion.
To support water and food security, Wariori Dam in Manokwari Regency has 1 km of primary irrigation channel that is useful for irrigating rice fields. In addition, the Ministry of PUPR through the West Papua River Basin has completed the revitalization of the Klagison River in Sorong City and the development of Tanjung Kasuari and Supraw Beach safeguards.
In addition, to support connectivity on road construction, the government through the West Papua National Road Implementation Center is finalizing the Trans Papua road development project in the west, targeting the development of Trans-Java road will be 4,325.10 km which consists of 3,031.40 kilometers of road in the Province Papua and 1,293.70 kilometers of roads in West Papua Province.
A total of 68 bridges have also been completed by 2016, and as many as 195 bridges will be continued until 2018. The bridge is fully open, but it still needs geometry improvement and bridge handling in several locations.
The circumcised condition of Raja Ampat Ring Road reaches 35.77 km, 96.43 km is still a pavement and the remaining 209.8 km is not yet open. In 2017, it is targeted that additional roads are asphalted along 37.77 km and 97.76 km of stone pavement.
In the housing sector, the government has also built a number of special homes for the Police in Sorong district, the TNI in Sorong City, fishermen in the Raja Ampat Mayalimbit Bay, a special house in South Batanta District, Raja Ampat, and supports Green Sorong housing for low-income people (MBR) in Sorong District.
The government is also building a 442 km Raja Ampat Ring Road to support Raja Ampat National Tourism Strategic Area (KSPN). However, the length of the road that can be built only 228.39 km while the rest along 113.61 km into the nature reserve area.
The realization of the acceleration of infrastructure development especially in Papua is a proof of the government’s consistency to align Papua with other regions in Indonesia. Equal in the sense of equitable development, the same prices as other regions and so on that aim to advance Papua.