Jakarta to become waterfront city

Jakarta to become waterfront city

Deputy Governor for Economics and Development Tb. M. Rais
said that the city administration plans to transform Jakarta into
one of the most beautiful waterfront cities in Southeast Asia.

"We have neglected the development of the Jakarta Bay over the
last two decades. We just made it into a huge basin for our
garbage," he told a seminar on Wednesday.

"It is high time for us to compensate for such negligence," he
added, referring to the area in North Jakarta, including the
Tanjung Priok and Sunda Kelapa seaports as well as the Seribu
Islands.

The Jakarta administration has given PT Pembangunan Jaya, one
of the leading property developers in the country, a permit to
reclaim parts of Jakarta's vast mangrove forest to develop a posh
housing complex.

Rais said that developing the waterfront will also benefit the
local residents, particularly the Seribu Island fishermen.

According to data from the National Development and Planning
Agency, four of the 11 most underprivileged subdistricts in
Jakarta are found in the Seribu Islands.

Analysts say the poverty could be partly solved by developing
the infrastructure of the islands as well as the coastline area
of mainland Jakarta. (09)