TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government is trying to build the area of Kota Tua (Old Town) and turn it into an area that can be taken advantage of by other functions such as offices, restaurants and etc.

"Kota Tua is known for its toursim city consisting of old buildings and museums, not as a living area," Deputy Chief of the Tourism and Cultural Department of Jakarta Province, Tinia Budiati, told reporters at the Kota Tua Conservation Hall Jakarta yesterday.

Tinia explained that the buildings in the area were once used as offices. After they had new buildings, these buildings were left and switched to becoming a warehouse function and some of them remained empty.

Tinia is pleased that there is a party willing to manage old buildings on Jl. Pintu Besar Utara, Kota Tua, to become a restaurant.

"I am very pleased that there is a young generation who will create a simple cozy restaurant without damaging the building’s original structure," Tinia said.

Tinia admits that the Jakarta Provincial Government has so far underutilized these buildings for other functions other than turning it into a museum.

"The management of Kota Tua is still unorganized. Everthing is still independent, whereas Kota Tua attracts many investor’s attention who are willing to rake huge profits by using Kota Tua’s name itself," Tinia said.

Antara | Ruslan Burhani