Call for new street lighting, rules to preserve old Kota

JAKARTA (JP): A seminar on the downtown Kota project has raised the need for rules supporting the preservation of the old area including more street lights for security.

The minister of tourism, post and telecommunications, Joop Ave, said at the opening of the one-day seminar Thursday that rules and strict enforcement were urgent to ensure the project's success.

"The municipality does not need to talk much, it should really work to make Kota a Jakarta attraction," he said.

He described Kota as Jakarta's crown.

In a similar seminar last November Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said it was hard to keep the city's historical features because this meant controlling the private sector.

The minister said the city should be strict in preserving historic architecture.

Also speaking at the seminar was Hotel Omni Batavia general manager Rudy G. Schouten who said the municipality should be more active in "halting the obvious deterioration" of many of the area's old buildings.

He said major buildings should be illuminated and the Kali Besar river cleaned up.

"This eyesore cannot just be hidden and has to be a top priority for hygienic as well as esthetic reasons," Schouten said.

The hotel, built in September 1995, is a participant in the city preservation project which started in the early 1990s. The project covers 139 hectares and aims to preserve Kota's historical features while improving its business district.

The area is home to 135 neoclassical and art-deco style buildings. Kota's revitalization supports the city's North Jakarta reclamation project, which includes the preservation of historical sites like Sunda Kelapa.

Schouten said traffic should be re-routed directly on to Jl. Kali Besar, instead of taking a round trip through Jl. Kopi and Jl. Roa Malaka.

He also said more arts and crafts fairs should be held to attract people.

Another speaker, feng shui expert Kang Hong Kian, made several suggestions including the planting of large trees along the Asemka elevated road to neutralize "the weakness of chi' or positive energy around the area." (11)