T

he Jakarta administration is set to auction off the revitalization of around 60 historic buildings in 20 locations across the Kota Tua area in West Jakarta to private developers after learning that the Jakarta Old Town Revitalization Corporation (JOTRC) has limited funds.

Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said with its limited budget, the consortium would prioritize the restoration of 27 main buildings in 10 locations across Kota Tua, including the Post Office building and the Jakarta History Museum in Fatahillah Square. Most of the 27 buildings were in dire condition.

'€œWe are preparing to auction the revitalization of around 60 remaining buildings in Kota Tua. The JOTRC'€™s funding is limited so they cannot work on the remaining buildings,'€ Ahok announced to reporters in City Hall on Friday after discussing Kota Tua'€™s revitalization progress in a meeting.

Ahok said that a revitalization of one building would require dozens to hundreds of billions of rupiah and the consortium needed help from the private sector to restore the area.

'€œIt will take at least one month to prepare the auction. After that, we will offer the project to private developers,'€ he said.

JOTRC CEO Lin Che Wei said the consortium would be tasked with mapping the remaining buildings and make a list of which buildings would need to be restored first.

'€œThere are roughly 60 buildings '€” some are owned by the central government and some are owned by private companies or individuals. The JOTRC will map and set the priorities on the buildings,'€ Lin told reporters during the same occasion.

He said the JOTRC would approach the buildings'€™ owners, both the central government and private companies, to offer cooperation in a bid to revitalize their properties. Lin said that building owners would also be encouraged to repair their own structures.

'€œIf they are willing to revitalize the buildings by themselves, then they are encouraged to do so. If not, then the JOTRC will arrange for the permits and will auction the revitalization of the buildings to private developers,'€ he said.

In a situation where an edifice receives no interest, Lin said the city administration would take over the restoration project. He said that although the revitalization of the 27 buildings by the JOTRC was progressing as planned, the consortium had met challenges connected to the issuing of permits.

'€œWe needed a permit from the BUMN [State-owned Enterprises] Ministry and the permit was just issued on March 31. There were many doors that we needed to knock on before receiving the permit. Hopefully, there will be no further obstacles,'€ Lin said.

Kota Tua earlier this year was nominated as Indonesia'€™s representative for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List of significant cultural and natural sites. The city'€™s project with the JOTRC is not only aimed at revitalizing Kota Tua but also at preparing the area for the race to win the UNESCO World Heritage nomination.