Rano Karno said to be set to work in the Old Town area

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta Rano Karno is said to work in the Old Town area, Jakarta, during the revitalisation works in the area, which are expected to strengthen Jakarta’s position as a global city. “We will revitalise (Old Town). The hope is to benchmark it against Semarang’s Old Town. The plan is for the Deputy Governor to work there and develop Old Town even better,” said the Head of the Old Town Area Management Unit, Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Agency, Denny Aputra, in Jakarta on Wednesday. The Old Town area, which spans around 334 hectares, is not being revitalised for the first time. The first revitalisation took place from 1971-1977, covering Fatahillah Square, Kali Besar, the Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics Building, the Jakarta History Museum Building, the Maritime Museum, and the Onrust Island group. Then, the second revitalisation occurred from 2004-2006, which included the opening of the Bank Mandiri Museum and the Bank Indonesia Museum. The third revitalisation took place in 2013, targeting the Fatahillah Post Office Building and several state-owned enterprise buildings. Then, from 2016-2018, the revitalisation covered the Lokbin Taman Kota Intan and the southern side of Kali Besar. Previously, Rano expressed his aim to work in Old Town to directly oversee the revitalisation process of the area. He also said he has formed a working group (Pokja) as a means of coordination to ensure the revitalisation runs smoothly. In the revitalisation process, Old Town will be divided into three zones, namely the core zone, development zone, and support zone. Rano emphasised that the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government prioritises the development of parking areas and street vendors (PKL) in the Old Town revitalisation process. The Old Town revitalisation is projected as a tourist spot for middle-class communities, which can utilise transportation access via KRL or MRT. On the other hand, Rano mentioned that the revitalisation is also an effort to restore Jakarta’s identity while strengthening its position as a global city rooted in history and culture.