Fuad Iqbal Abdullah, Yovanda Noni, East Kalimantan – Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka made a two-day working visit to Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara (IKN), on May 28 and 29, his first official trip to the site since assuming office.
During the visit, Gibran inspected several key infrastructure projects and symbolically instructed the planting of a banyan tree within the Vice Presidential Palace compound.
"The Vice President wants a banyan tree planted on the palace grounds. He also stressed the importance of maintaining development quality and ensuring all projects stay on schedule," said IKN Authority Head Basuki Hadimuljono during a briefing at ASN Apartment 1 in IKN on Wednesday evening.
He began his inspection at Toll Road Segment 5B, which is currently 70 percent complete and expected to be finished by mid-2026. The toll road will cut travel time from Sepinggan Airport to the IKN core area to about 50 minutes, facilitating logistics and public transportation.
The Vice President also reviewed progress at Abdi Waluyo Hospital, now 75.6 percent complete, which is set to become a modern healthcare facility. He later visited the construction sites of Hermina Nusantara Hospital on Sumbu Timur Street and the Ministry of Health Hospital in the Sumbu Barat zone.
In the final leg of his agenda, Gibran inspected the Vice Presidential Palace and ASN Apartments, which accommodate civil servants who will be relocated to IKN.
Though no official inauguration events were held, Gibran spent the evening engaging in informal discussions at a local cafe before staying overnight at the ASN Tower I building. He is scheduled to return to Jakarta on Thursday.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/gibran-makes-first-official-visit-to-nusantara-capital-cit