A

fter sluggish progress since its inauguration in October 2011, the project to develop Mandalika in South Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), as a tourism area has finally been started by PT Bali Tourism Development Corporation (BTDC).

BTDC head of development division, Untung Darmagunadi, said Monday that the company had commenced the project by building infrastructure in the area where the luxury resort would be built.

'€œWe started building the road in the area in December last year. The construction of a 27.3-kilometer road from the Kuta area on the western side as far as Gerupuk on the eastern side will be completed in three phases,'€ he explained to The Jakarta Post.

Simultaneously, the company has also started to install utilities, including electricity, water and a telecommunications network, in cooperation with other state-owned companies.

As part of the environmental conservation efforts, the lush green hills that provide the stunning backdrop to the Mandalika Resort area will be set aside as a conservation area of over 3,000 hectares. This area is home to many native species and will only be available for low impact activities, such as cycling or hiking, in order to minimize damage to the endemic flora and fauna.

To develop the 1,250-hectare resort area, BTDC would learn from its experience of building Nusa Dua resort complex, but with improvements in terms of sustainability by promoting local culture and environmentally friendly concepts, Untung said.

'€œWe expect Mandalika to be much better than Nusa Dua. The area is four times larger than Nusa Dua, and we will provide more green open space there,'€ he said.Buildings would be designed incorporating the concept of traditional Sasak architecture, he added.

The development of the tourism area will be in three phases, from 2013 until 2021. BTDC will develop 400 hectares in the first phase, 250 hectares in the second phase and the remaining 600 hectares in the third phase. There will be accommodations and other supporting facilities, including a golf course.

Progress on the Mandalika project has been hampered by land conflicts with local people, who claimed some parts of the area. Untung said the company was aware of protests from local people concerning the land, but thanks to the support of the local administration, the conflict had been settled.

Based on the company'€™s 2011 Mandalika development master plan, the company would invest Rp 2.2 trillion (US$192.35 million) for the project, with financial support from the World Bank.

Mandalika is one of the three new special economic zones (KEK) designed by the government as part of the Masterplan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesian Economic Development (MP3EI). The other two KEK are Morotai Island in Maluku and Tanjung Api-api in South Sumatera.