A cleaner beach with increased public access is on the way in Gili Trawangan, West Nusa Tenggara, as local authorities start dismantling bars and restaurants to uphold a local ordinance on a more orderly shoreline.

Around 400 personnel from the Navy, the West Nusa Tenggara Water Police, the police’s Mobile Brigade and North Lombok regency’s public order officers began demolishing the buildings with heavy equipment on Friday.

The local administration informed business owners and operators three months ago about demolishing their own buildings, North Lombok regent Syarifuddin said.

“We told owners to pull down their own buildings because they violated the regulation. As the deadline was Feb. 23, the curbing team dismantled the remaining buildings,” he said on Gili Trawangan on Friday.

His office recorded 143 bars and restaurants, some owned by hotels located behind the beach, situated only 5 to 10 meters from the shore, closer than the minimum 30 meters as regulated.

Besides violating the regulation, the 143 businesses appeared to have marked out plots and promoted them as private beach areas, although the whole beach should be open to the public.

“The local administration wants to return the beach to its original function. We curbed [the development] for the sake of public interest and for sustainable tourism development,” he said.

The owners of 100 businesses on the shoreline agreed to tear down their own buildings before the deadline.

After the cleanup, which will be conducted for 20 days from Friday, the regency will begin to manage the beach according to a grand plan.

“We will control the beach area in Gili Trawangan. For sure we will make it more convenient for tourists while also fulfilling the public’s right to access the beach,” Syarifuddin said.

On Friday, the team began demolitions from the western side of Trawangan port. The initiative will not affect tourist activities on the island known for its pristine beaches and underwater beauty.

Several fast boats transporting foreign tourists from Bali were still seen coming and going on Friday. Boats from Bangsal port in Pemenang district, which connects Gili Trawangan to the main island of Lombok, were also operating as usual.

Joane Adeline, 34, a tourist from the United Kingdom, said she did not mind the demolition work if the purpose was to make the beach even more beautiful.

Meanwhile, several business owners demanded that the regency be fair in the cleanup.

“We support the curbing, but the administration must be fair. All buildings that violate the regulation must be torn down, not just the small businesses,” said Andi Paraleno, the owner of Equstic restaurant.

The restaurant was established in 2012 and offered Western and Asian seafood and barbeque dishes. It usually welcomed 100 to 150 guests daily for lunch and dinner.

Equstic, which employs 65 people, had begun to demolish its own building and move to another location. Andi hoped the regency administration would accelerate the beach management so that his restaurant could soon start operating again as normal.

The head of the demolition team, Hermanto, said it would take around 20 days to complete the cleanup as most of the remaining buildings were permanent or semipermanent, made of bricks, wood or bamboo.

Gili Trawangan is one of the three famous Gili Islands, along with Gili Air and Gili Meno. The world-renowned Gilis are located in Gili Indah village, Pemenang, North Lombok regency. The three islands provide the biggest source of income for the regency.

The regency booked Rp 130 billion (US$9.8 million) in income in 2016, of which 70 percent was contributed by tourism. The income has skyrocketed as a result of the increased popularity of the Gili Islands and Mount Rinjani. In 2009, it booked only Rp 6.7 billion income.

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