Banda Aceh, Aceh, (Antara) - Some Rp1 trillion of funds are required for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of areas damaged by the 6.5-magnitude earthquake in Aceh Province, according to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
"Currently, the inventory process is underway, and when I checked it, I found that approximately Rp1 trillion of funds are needed to build infrastructure and facilities damaged by the destructive earthquake in Pidie Jaya District on December 7, 2016," Indrawati remarked here on Thursday.
According to the minister, the funds allocated from the 2017 state budget will be utilized to rebuild houses of worship, schools, houses, and roads damaged by the earthquake.
In the meantime, acting Aceh Governor Soedarmo has affirmed that the government will give top priority to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of schools.
"The reconstruction of damaged schools is the government's top priority," Soedarmo stated while accompanying Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto in Pidie Jaya recently.
Soedarmo said he had ordered the Pidie Jaya district government to optimize the reconstruction efforts, so that learning activities can return to normal.
Soedarno added that repair and reconstruction work will also be carried out on houses based on the severity of damage.
The government has set up an infrastructure task force to handle the immediate impact of the 6.5-magnitude earthquake that rocked the district on December 7, Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono claimed in a press statement recently.
The task force, coordinated by the National Disaster Mitigation Board (BNPB), will focus on reconstructing schools, government offices, markets, mosques, and Islamic boarding schools, he explained.
During the first phase, the ministry will focus on reconstructing school buildings shortly after the debris is cleared and the auditing process is completed, Danis H Sumadilaga, head of the ministry's research and development board, stated at a coordination meeting with BNPB and several state-owned construction firms in Pidie Jaya held some time ago.(*)
