Kelingking Beach is seen on Oct 31 on Nusa Penida Island in Klungkung regency, Bali, during an inspection by Bali Provincial Legislative Council spatial planning, licensing and regional assets special committee. - Tribunnews.com/Ni Luh Putu Wahyuni Sri Utami
DENPASAR: The Bali Provincial Legislative Council’s (DPRD) spatial planning, licensing and regional assets special committee has suspended the construction of a controversial cliffside elevator on Nusa Penida Island in Klungkung regency, saying there have been violations in the elevator construction project.
The glass elevator has been criticised by many tourists as it is built on Kelingking Beach, a popular beach famous for its unique and natural T-Rex shaped cliff.
The special committee inspected the project site last week and immediately decided to suspend the project.
"The elevator construction project has violated many regulations. It is built in a prohibited area based on Law No. 26/2007 on Spatial Planning,” special committee chairman I Made Supartha told The Jakarta Post on Thursday (Npv 6).
“The construction contradicts the Bali tourism concept that should be based on traditional cultural values."
Supartha said that the elevator was built in a prohibited coastline area. Spatial planning regulation dictates that buildings must be built at least 100m away from the coastline
“The project also violates the environmental law because building on the cliff is not allowed," he added.
The elevator project has also violated Bali Bylaw No. 5/2005 on Building Architecture Requirements, which stipulates that a building must display Balinese traditional architecture.
"In Bali, the tourist attraction should be based on culture. The elevator construction goes against the cultural-based tourism concept," he said.
The elevator is some 180m high while Bali’s building code regulates that a building must not exceed 15m high.
Supartha said that an evaluation meeting would be held next week to discuss the project and to find out who has issued the permit for the project.
"So far the Bali provincial administration and Klungkung regency administration have never issued any permit for the construction," he said, adding that the investor gained the permit through an online single system (OSS) managed by the central government.
Although a meeting will be held to evaluate the project, Supartha ensured that the project will not continue.
"The meeting is only to find out what happened and to evaluate the permit system, to manage our island better. For sure, we will never allow any investor to continue this elevator project," Supartha said.
Bali Public Order Agency head I Dewa Nyoman Rai Darmadi said that the elevator project had been shut down and was not allowed to be continued.
"The construction of the elevator has been suspended because it has breached several regulations," Darmadi told the Post on Thursday, adding that it was built in a prohibited area.
"There should be no construction on the beach," he said. Darmadi also participated in the inspection last week with the Bali DPRD's special committee.
He said that the suspension was based on feedback from various related agencies, such as the Bali Manpower Agency, which stated that occupational safety and health requirements had not been met, endangering workers and visitors, Antara news agency reported.
The project’s investor has yet to validate the elevator’s technical drawing and license, which is an administrative violation.
I Komang Suantara, the director of PT Bangun Nusa Properti (BNP) which owns the project, insisted that the project was legal and conforms to existing spatial planning and building regulations.
Suantara also claimed that the permit for the project was issued in 2023, and it has gone through an environmental impact analysis.
The project is financed by a Chinese investor to the tune of Rp 200 billion (US$11.97 million), with Rp 60 billion for the elevator alone, with the hope it will generate income for Klungkung regency and create jobs. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
