Batam Orders 681 Illegal Reclame Points For The Face Of A More Rapi City

JAKARTA - As part of efforts to beautify and organize the face of the city, the Batam City Government, Riau Islands, has begun to control hundreds of billboards that are not licensed or have not completed the legalization process.

This control has been carried out since Wednesday evening, May 28, covering at least 681 points spread across various corners of the city.

The Mayor of Batam, Amsakar Achmad, said that this step was part of a big plan to make Batam a city that was orderly, clean, and comfortable to see. He also appreciated the positive response of business actors who had billboards.

"Alhamdulillah, many business actors welcomed this step. In fact, some of them voluntarily started tidying up their own billboards. This shows a good synergy between the government and business actors," said Amsakar as quoted by ANTARA.

According to him, in the future the installation of outdoor media such as videotron will be directed to strategic points that have been determined, through an open tender mechanism. He emphasized that the process would be carried out in accordance with applicable regulations.

"Please apply for an official permit through the auction route or other established procedures," he said.

The control process itself has been running for three days with a main focus on large billboards, which require special equipment such as cranes for dismantling. Of the total 681 billboards, only about ten have been successfully dismantled. Today, five additional points are the target of controlling.

Amsakar also appealed to the owner of the billboards who had not responded to the results of the previous meeting to immediately follow up. His party has prepared a marker sticker as a form of warning to problematic billboards.

"God willing, through the Revised APBD in July, we will allocate a budget to expand control. Our target is that the entire process can be completed in August," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Batam City Investment and One Stop Integrated Service (DPMPTSP), Reza Khadafy, added that billboards that were not in accordance with the plan for spatial planning with BP Batam and those who were in arrears of taxation would also be brought under control.

"Starting last Wednesday night, our control will be carried out in stages, adjusting to the data and violations found," he said.

This effort is expected to create a more organized city space, as well as increase compliance with licensing and tax regulations.