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View all search resultsCity to kick off Kota Tua revival project this year
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Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama and top officials from Amsterdam-based paint producer AkzoNobel, rolls white paint on a wall at Fatahillah Museum in Kota Tua in West Jakarta on May 25. The Jakarta administration has teamed up with the paint company to repaint several key buildings in the heritage area. (JP /Agnes Anya)
T
he Jakarta city administration will this year kick of the giant project to revive the Kota Tua heritage site in West and North Jakarta, promising to transform the area into a prominent tourist attraction featuring various historical sites as major tourist draw cards.
Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said on Wednesday that the project would start by improving the condition of the Old Town environment; cleaning up the rivers, fixing pedestrian facilities and developing parking lots for tourists.
The initial project is scheduled to finish within one year, the governor said, adding that the financial source would be a combination of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and compensation for a building floor coefficient (KLB) violation by Sampoerna Land, a fine amounting to Rp 270 billion (US$19.79 million).
“With the funds from CSR and KLB, we will clean up Kali Besar Barat and its surrounding areas. We will also renovate the Batavia fortress and construct a parking facility on Jl. Tongkol,” Ahok told journalists at the Jakarta History Museum on Wednesday.
Kota Tua represents the first city constructed during the Dutch colonialism era, covering areas from Kota Station to the North Jakarta Sea. Major sites in the area include Jakarta Museum (formerly City Hall), Sunda Kelapa Seaport, Luar Batang Mosque, Maritime Museum, Pasar Ikan (Fish Market) and the VOC shipyard.
Dozens of old buildings are found in the area, many of which are damaged, having allegedly been neglected by their owners.
Meanwhile, Ahok said, the Jakarta City Water Management Agency had started to install sheet piles on the coastal line in Pasar Ikan, which was recently cleared of its old buildings.
Sidewalk repairs have also been implemented along the roads near the Maritime museum, VOC shipyard, and Jl. Ekor Kuning, the governor added.
The project is a way to invite the owners of old buildings to renovate their properties to open tourist-related businesses, Ahok said, adding that incentives will be prepared for private companies interested to open business in the area.
On Wednesday, paint producer AzkoNobel, through its CSR program, expressed a commitment to repaint several buildings in Kota Tua, including the Fatahillah Museum, Fine Arts Museum, Kota Intan Bridge, the Maritime Museum and the Wayang Museum.
AzkoNobel also provided the city with four double-decker buses, for use by PT Transjakarta, to support tourism in Kota Tua. (bbn)
