The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing has approved 952 contracts for infrastructure improvements in Indonesia worth Rp6.43 trillion.

Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, said on Wednesday that at least 68 contracts out of the 952, worth RP1.58 trillion, have been approved by committee officers and contractors at the ministrys working meeting last Tuesday.

The approved construction projects include road maintenance, bridge construction, road construction at border areas, as well as some housing projects.

Other projects including extension of fresh water pipeline and restoration of irrigation channels have also been approved. The contracts were allocated during a project auction held in October 2016.

Hadimuljono appointed staff from his ministry to oversee all project auctions, where 10,403 contracts worth RP69.61 trillion up to March 2017 are up for auction.

He said his target for the ministry is to allocate 1,523 construction projects, worth RP11.58 trillion, by the end of January 2017.

He added that many local contractors participated and won construction projects at the auction. He hoped that these local contractors can improve both the quality of their work and their competitiveness.

The signing of the contracts also reflects an acceleration of infrastructure developments in Indonesia.

Hadimuljono hopes that his ministrys efforts can provide additional employment and improve Indonesias national development, as well as support its economic growth.

source: antaranews