It seems the government has been teasing us with intermittent talk of a new toll road that would connect Kuta, Canggu, and Tanah Lot.
The road was touted as part of Rp 14 trillion project that would cut through congestion and make going from Kuta all the way to Tanah Lot a heck of a lot less painful.
Well now it seems to be more clear what the hold up with the project is—a couple of reports in local newspaper Tribun Bali suggest (you guessed it) politics, money, and finger-pointing are at work.
The director of the regional owned firm working on the toll project, Perusda Bali, Nyoman Baskara, says it’s not just about the money for why we haven’t yet seen the highly-touted toll road project connecting Kuta, Canggu and Tanah Lot.
Perusda says it is still finalizing a motorway feasibility study.
“It’s not only about capital investment, although that is also an important responsibility of Perusda. From the Ministry, there is a demand for us to have a truly fixed feasibility study. Myself, along with the Managing Director of (cooperating company) Waskita Karya are preparing the consultation for the pre-feasibility study,” Baskara told Tribun Bali on Tuesday.
He said after the pre-feasibility study, the feasibility study must be finalized, and only after that, will the plans be submitted to the relevant ministries.
Though he said it’s not all about the money, Baskara made further comments that would imply otherwise and he suggested that if the provincial government partner with Perusda on the road project, then the government should help provide additional capital to make these toll roads.
“We are sorry that the initial capital investment is just Rp 1.2 billion. It’s just peanuts. If the government really wants Perusda to exist, then the local government should include capital. My question is to what extent the local government earnestly supports Perusda. Until now, there hasn’t yet been any capital investment, which is needed for Perusda,” he said.
On the flip side, members of the regional council (DPRD) say the Rp 14 trillion mega project is not yet done because their partner, Perusda Bali, has not yet submitted initial capital.
“The highway project is stagnant because PT Perusda Bali has not yet submitted initial capital to PT Waskita Bali Mandara Toll totaling Rp 1.2 billion. The initial capital is a condition to be able to do the Feasibility Study for the toll road,” DPRD Commission III Chairman Nengah Tamba explained to Tribun on Tuesday.
Tamba says he laments the attitude of Perusda Bali’s board of directors because of its lack of coordination with DPRD Bali, particularly with DPRD Commission III.
He added that Perusda needed to be honest about whether or not they had the money so that the government could have budgeted appropriately for the 2016 fiscal year.
“The Board of Directors of PT Perusda Bali have had no communication at all,” Tamba said.
If these guys can get past the finger pointing and get the necessary money rounded up, it is said that the road would be up and operational by 2021—though it seems they’ve got their work cut out for them.
