Weakening rupiah will not impact regional development: official

Padang, W Sumatra, Aug 26 (Antara) - The weakening of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar will not impact development plans in West Sumatra as construction raw material prices have remained stable. "There have been no changes made in the development plans yet following the Rupiah weakening," said the Head of West Sumatra Regional Development Planning Board (Bappeda), Afriadi Laudin, on Wednesday. He said the development process in West Sumatra was still following a predetermined path. However, Laudin said he would continue to monitor the conditions in the field in relation to the currency's weakening. In case any unexpected conditions develop, prices of construction materials soaring, the regional planning board will coordinate with the central government to find the best solution. "We need to coordinate because changes in development plans need special consideration," Laudin said. The realization of the development schedule must be adjusted if there is any change in plans, considering that regional planning is still following old models of development. The Head of West Sumatra's Department of Road Infrastructure, Spatial and Settlement (Disprasjaltarkim), Suprapto, said the weakening of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar had not affected the physical development realization. "It (development construction) has not been affected because there is no change in the price of construction materials in West Sumatra. Asphalt prices are not rising, neither are steel, or cement prices. So we still continue with the development," Suprapto said. Suprapto admitted that this was not the first time the Rupiah had weakened. However, unlike the earlier instances, the current weakening had not impacted prices, or construction material stocks. "Hopefully, construction materials prices will remain stable and not interfere in regional development," Suprapto said.