World Bank assistance for Kuta renewal plan

World Bank assistance for Kuta renewal plan

DENPASAR, Bali (ANTARA): The World Bank is planning to extend
Rp 5 billion in aid for an urban renewal project in Kuta, Badung
regency, the regency's public relations head said on Wednesday.

The bank is interested in assisting in the improvement of the
area, AA Raka Yudha told Antara. He noted that Kuta, one of the
island's most famous holiday destinations, had suffered the
consequences of rapid urban development, due to its role in
tourism and also as a preferred site for investment.

Raka said the local administration encountered difficulty in
dealing with development, particularly in Kuta, most evident in
uncontrolled construction activities.

A new project, the Strategic Structural Plan for Kuta (SSPK),
is based on two objectives of the Badung administration. First,
the development of concrete solutions to problems affecting Kuta,
such as traffic congestion, flooding, pollution and the like.

The second is to focus on steps to create concepts for public
order, particularly in areas of high activity.

"I am confident that both issues will be solved through the
SSPK," Raka said. "What's more, this study accommodates the
public through a forum bringing together all segments of
society."

Project head I Wayan Suambara said the plan came from an
initiative reached in negotiations between the Indonesian
government and the International Bank Reconstruction Development
(IBRD) in March 1997 in Washington D.C.

He believed the World Bank selected the project for funding
because of Kuta's role as an international tourist destination,
which required reorganization based on a plan which included
different components of the public.