Thousand Islands to build airstrip

Thousand Islands to build airstrip

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As part of the effort to boost tourism in the Thousand Islands
regency of Jakarta, the administration has begun work on
expanding the existing 930-meter-long airstrip on Panjang isle to
1.4 kilometers.

A feasibility study on the expansion plan is under way, said
regent Djoko Ramadhan Tjakrawardana on Tuesday.

"We expect the study, which will cost Rp 1 billion
(US$112,359), to be completed by the end of this year so we can
proceed with the construction work next year," he told The
Jakarta Post.

He did not state the cost of the project.

Djoko said the development of the airstrip, which would cater
to accommodate medium-sized planes, like the Fokker F-28 with
passenger capacity between 40 and 60 seats, would help facilitate
tourists to the resort islands.

Panjang isle is a strategic hub to reach satellite islets. The
regency has a total of 106 islets, 11 of them are designed for
resort islands, but only nine are currently operational. Among
tourist attractions available are the marine parks, heritage site
and sea farming.

"Currently, we could only use small boats and ferries to reach
the islets, which takes at least one hour from Jakarta's Marina
berth in Ancol, North Jakarta," Djoko remarked.

Poor access, he asserted, was the main reason why the
regency's economy -- which is inhabited by around 20,000 people,
or 5,000 families -- failed to thrive, although the Jakarta
administration has upgraded the former district area into a
regency on Nov. 9, 2001.

As a regency, the Thousand Islands has to be able to ease its
dependency on the provincial budget.

The regency's 2004 budget was Rp 124.6 billion, simply a
meager amount compared to the outstanding city budget of Rp 11
trillion in 2004. This year, it has allocated a total of Rp 266.8
billion for the administration's daily operations.

Djoko said his administration would welcome investors to take
part in the development of air transportation since "it will be
too costly for us to develop it with our own cash-strapped
budget."

Besides poor access, he added that his regency also has a lack
of human resources.

"Many of the residents have graduated from religious schools,
which is not bad, but we need those with skills and knowledge to
explore and exploit the potentials of the islands, especially on
tourism, fishery and other natural resources."

He revealed that some foreign companies operating oil rigs in
the islands' waters have pledged to provide scholarships for
local students as part of their community development programs.

The regency has also worked together with the Bogor Institute
of Agriculture in an aquaculture project to develop seaweed
farming, fish farming and fish breeding in 200 hectares of
shallow water around Semak Daun island.

The administration has a total of 2,000 hectares of sea with
less than two-meters deep, which could be used for aquatic
projects.