Heru Budi Participates Whatever Jokowi's Directives Regarding The Management Of Athlete's House

RSDC Wisma Atlet Kemayoran Jakarta after one year of operation in 2021. (Nanda F-VOI)

JAKARTA - Acting Governor of DKI Heru Budi Hartono will follow the Central Government's policy regarding the management of Wisma Atlet. This is because the land where the Athlete's House stands belongs to the State Secretariat (Setneg).

"We are still discussing it, I am following the central government's policy," said Heru at the Ragunan Wildlife Park in South Jakarta, Friday, February 3.

The Wisma Atlet Emergency Hospital is on land owned by the State Secretariat. The construction itself is carried out by the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR).

Even so, Heru added that the seven tower building complex, which had been used as a place to treat COVID-19 patients, could potentially be used by one of them for hospitals.

"It can be for hospitals, I don't know the concept of the State Secretariat, it was the PUPR that built, the land belongs to the State Secretariat, there is another possible concept," he added.

Previously, the Chairman of Commission D of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Ida Maheasy, suggested that the DKI Provincial Government manage Wisma Atlet after being empty due to the decline in COVID-19 cases.

"Instead of stalling, it has been empty for a long time, there are many kuntils of their children," said Ida during a working meeting at Commission D of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Wednesday (1/2).

If the proposal is accommodated, he continued, some Wisma Atlet can be used as a hospital and the rest are used for residents' housing, such as flats (Rusun) such as in Pasar Rumput Flats which were also used to isolate COVID-19 positive patients.

"I think there is nothing wrong with the DKI Regional Government also processing it for us to ask, make the top flat, we will build hospitals and children's hospitals, we need them," he said.

Meanwhile, on the same occasion, the Head of the DKI Jakarta Public Housing and Settlement Area Office, Sarjoko, said that Wisma Atlet is possible if it is used as a flat and hospital.

Even so, his party has not identified the needs of flats around Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, where the Athlete's Wisma was founded.

"Indeed, we have not been able to take pictures because so far we have never identified the needs of the surrounding flats," said Sarjoko.

Initially, Wisma Atlet was used as a temporary residence for athletes who competed in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. After the sports competition was completed, the building was then used as the COVID-19 Emergency Hospital since March 2020.

As COVID-19 cases are under control, the government has officially closed the operation of Wisma Atlet as a COVID treatment ground right at the end of December 2022. The construction of the Kemayoran Athlete's Wisma costs up to IDR 3.4 trillion.

The initial development plan was carried out in 2015, but only realized in 2016 and completed in approximately one year. Wisma Atlet Kemayoran was built on an area of 10 hectares. The building with 10 towers (power) can accommodate up to 22,200 people.