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undreds of Bali residents took part in the People's Gathering Thursday to voice their disappointment over the island's chaotic zoning policy and poor public infrastructure.

The gathering was held at the Wantilan hall in the Bali Legislative Council (DPRD) compound in Renon, Denpasar, as Bali administration councillors were deliberating a draft zoning bylaw inside the building.

Grouped under the Gumi Bali Concern, the residents came from all walks of life, including farmers, fishermen, customary communities and physically-challenged individuals

"Public infrastructure for the disabled is very limited. We have a hard time walking on the city's sidewalks as only a few of them have yellow lines to aid sight-impaired or blind residents," I Made Kendra, who is blind, said.

Public infrastructure that did not address the physically-challenged residents' needs were also criticized by Dayu Manuaba from Senang Hati, a local NGO that provides assistance for the Difable (Different ability people) across the island.

"We even found poor facilities in government buildings. We couldn't enter the building because it did not have access for the Difable," she said.

Meanwhile, I Wayan Patut, a resident of Serangan Island, talked of the environmental damage on the tiny island's coastline due to massive land reclamation projects condoned by the local administration.

"The government-backed investors, who carried out the reclamation, have made life so difficult for both the island and its residents. Prior to the reclamation, Serangan fishermen could easily find fish at a depth of one meter, now they can't even find fish down at 12 meters," he said.

The island's chaotic zoning policy has resulted in waves of unchecked developments that trigger irreversible environmental damage. Reservation areas, coastlines, green belt and water catchment areas are disappearing at an alarming rate to make way for new tourism projects and housing complexes.

The Indonesian Environmental Forum's Bali chapter head Agung Wardana stated the administration officials who agreed such destructive development projects must be severely punished.

"Those who breach the zoning regulations, including investors, and government officials who condone the plans, must be sentenced to a jail term," Wardana said, referring to an article in the draft bylaw, dealing with prison terms for zoning bylaw violators, that has stirred heated debate.