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New airport advised not to ignore culture, socio-religious aspects
The Indonesian Parisadha Hindu Council (PHDI) Bali chapter has declared its support for the planned new airport in Buleleng regency in the north of Bali
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he Indonesian Parisadha Hindu Council (PHDI) Bali chapter has declared its support for the planned new airport in Buleleng regency in the north of Bali.
The council did, however, stress that the construction of the new airport should pay careful attention to local wisdom.
'We support the construction of new airport as it will have a positive impact on the economy and tourism here in Bali,' chairman of the council, IGN Sudiana, told The Jakarta Post recently.
Sudiana said that the island's residents had been waiting for the long-delayed project. 'If it is good for the future of Bali, why don't realize the program soon, as many people are waiting for it,' he said.
However, Sudiana reminded that the construction should not ignore the cultural and religious traditions in Bali. 'Don't let the construction oust temples, residential areas or even the customary villages. If there are no temples impacted by the construction, it doesn't matter,' he stated.
Sudiana also reminded that the construction should not go against socio-religious concepts, and should pay attention to 'sacred zones', as defined by the island's Parisadha Hindu council's 1994 bhisama (sacred decree). The decree stipulates a sacred zone around minor and major temples, prohibiting the construction of tourism facilities in those areas. 'Please don't ever build the airport in a sacred zone,' he stated.
Earlier, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika had also said the new airport development must consider the Balinese culture. 'Don't let our good will collide with our culture, which could make problems in the future,' Pastika said.
The administration, as of now, is still considering several proposals regarding the concept and precise location of the new airport.
In early March, representatives from Canada-based Airport Kinesis Consulting (AKC) met with the
governor and his staff, as well as Buleleng's regent and deputy regent, to present their airport development proposal, which would locate the airport on a man-made island close to shore.
Pastika announced earlier this month that the administration would soon decide the precise location for the airport development. After the provincial administration decided on the exact location, it would make a recommendation to the Transportation Ministry, which would then issue the relevant ministerial decree.
Based on previous feasibility studies, two locations have been named as having potential for the international airport ' Sumberkima village in Gerokgak, west of Singaraja, and Kubutambahan village, east of Singaraja.
The studies suggested Kubutambahan was deemed more appropriate as there was more flat land available for the planned airport, which is expected to require up to 3,000 hectares.
The plan to build a second airport on the island was announced several years ago by then tourism minister Jero Wacik, in anticipation of the growing number of tourists to the resort island. It was also said that the planned airport would gradually overtake the present Ngurah Rai International Airport in terms of passenger traffic, since the latter faced land constraints that prevented the operator from extending its runway.
However, the plan continues to vacillate from being the hottest issue for the island's tourist industry to an enigmatic proposal following years of bureaucratic uncertainty and a lack of serious investors.
