E. Kalimantan governor calls for speedy land acquisition for railway project

East Kalimantan Governor Awang Faroek appealed to local administration leaders to help speed up land acquisition process for the planned 192-km railway project that would link a number of regencies and mayoralties in the province, Bisnis Indonesia daily reported on Tuesday.

?To all related institutions within the East Kalimantan provincial administration, and regency and mayoralty administrations to fully support Borneo Railways in developing the project,? Awang said on Monday.

The US$1.7 billion railway project, with Russian Railways, Russia?s largest rail and locomotive company, as the major investor, will link West Kutai Regency and the Balikpapan port city, to transport coal and other commodities produced in the province.

Awang said that his administration wanted the land acquisition process for the long-delayed project to be concluded soon, so that it could be inaugurated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in June of this year along with other key projects in the province. (*)