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.