INDONESIAN President Joko Widodo held his first cabinet meeting in the future capital of Nusantara, amid miles of construction sites and doubts about the sustainability of the ambitious mega project.

Mr Widodo began working from the city two weeks ago, using an office inside the construction site of the massive new palace in the form of the mythical eagle-shaped Garuda, the symbol of the country.

The city is set to hold its first Indonesian Independence Day celebration in less than a week.

Appearing in front of the palace with his successor, president-elect Prabowo Subianto, Mr Widodo insisted that the controversial $33 billion (£25.8bn) construction effort will be worth it.

“The Nusantara capital is a canvas that carves the future. Not all countries have the opportunity and the ability to build their capital city starting from zero,” Mr Widodo said.

Mr Subianto vowed that his administration will continue work on the new city after it takes office on October 20.

Construction of the new city began in mid-2022, after Mr Widodo announced a plan to relocate the capital from Jakarta. The metropolis suffers from pollution and congestion, is prone to earthquakes, and is rapidly sinking.

The project, using land carved out of Borneo’s jungle, has been dogged by criticism from environmentalists and indigenous communities, who say it degrades the environment, further shrinks the habitat of endangered animals such as orangutans, and displaces indigenous people who rely on the land for their livelihoods.