PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The Bandung City Government (Pemkot) received a working visit from the Citra Bakti DPRD of West Java Province at Bandung City Hall, Monday (23/12/2024).

This meeting discussed a number of strategic issues and synergies between the provincial and city governments to support development in the capital of West Java.

The head of the West Java Provincial DPRD delegation, MQ Iswara, conveyed several strategic issues that were discussed, including the development of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor, flood management, waste management, health education and environmental improvement, especially in the North Bandung Area (KBU).

"The problems of flooding and environmental degradation are our main concerns. Synergy between provinces and cities is needed to resolve this," he said.

Iswara also said that there was an understanding between the province and the city of Bandung regarding the operation of Kertajati Airport, which is the main gateway to West Java.

He also appreciated the Human Development Index (HDI) in Bandung City as the highest in West Java. He hopes that intensive coordination between the West Java DPRD and Bandung City as the provincial capital will continue to run well in the future.

"With various inputs and discussions that we have, hopefully it can improve the synergy between the province and the city of Bandung. Hopefully in the future it will be better," he said.

Deputy Chairman of the Bandung City DPRD, Acep Jamaludin, added that it is important to resolve border issues and waste management.

"More effective coordination between provinces, cities and districts is needed, especially regarding the Sarimukti TPA moratorium," he said.

Responding to this, Acting Mayor of Bandung A. Koswara emphasized that the Bandung City Government will continue to synergize with the West Java Provincial DPRD in dealing with various strategic city issues.

"As the provincial capital, we are ready to collaborate and support every strategic policy for the common good," he said.

Koswara acknowledged the importance of managing the North Bandung Area (KBU). The Bandung City Government has carried out reforestation and requested that building permits in the KBU area be temporarily withheld.

However, he said, the KBU problem must be resolved through synergy between the district, city and provincial governments and even the center.

"We must work together to solve this problem. Awareness of the importance of KBU must be emphasized, not only about greening, but also about the use of space," he said.

He also underlined the importance of transportation reform in Bandung City to accommodate metropolitan development. The concept is to replace private vehicles with mass transportation.

"However, this requires support from the provincial and central governments, especially in accelerating the implementation of BRT. We also encourage cooperation agreements between the province and city districts regarding operational financing and necessary subsidies," he said.

Koswara also said that the Bandung City Government also faces challenges in providing clean water and handling flooding, especially in border areas.

In addition, waste management efforts continue to show positive progress with a reduction in trips from 170 to 138 trips per day. The RW Waste Free Area (KBS) program also continues to grow, with the number of RW KBS increasing from 283 to more than 400 RW.

"Waste management is not only the responsibility of the Bandung City Government, but all areas in the Greater Bandung area. We also target to leave only residual waste in the future," he said.

Meanwhile, related to residential areas, one of the programs that has been carried out is the relocation of people from under the Pasupati bridge to Rusun Rancaekek. This is done to improve the quality of life of the community while reducing slums.

"We need support from the province, in various ways. We are optimistic, with strong synergy, Bandung City will be able to overcome this challenge," he said.