Tourism office of Badung has recently issued a recommendation addressed to the administrative police (Satpol PP) Badung to take follow up action on 37 illegal Bali villas which so far continues their negligence by not submitting application to get required operational license.

Commander of Satpol PP Badung Adi Arnawa told reporters that his team has investigated the villas as recommended by the tourism office. Unfortunately investigation made by his team found that most of the villas in question were rather mysterious as the location did not fit the record. Furthermore the team also found minimum activities. There were only a few security guards in those villas. Some of them were completely empty. “That is the real situation, Therefore it is a bit difficult for us to follow up the findings forwarded by the Tourism Office,” said Adi Arnawa.

Just recently performance of Satpol PP Badung in following up 37 negligent villas as reported by the Tourism Office was hardly criticized by the House of Representatives. Chairman of Commission-C at Badung Regency’s House of Representatives I Wayan Disel Astawa said that Satpol PP Badung behaved like a tiger without teeth when dealing with serious violation in its jurisdiction.

Adi Astawa refused the opinion that his team did not do its job seriously, exposing the reason that there were procedures to follow in dealing with every case. With regard to the case of 37 illegally operating Bali villas Satpol PP had to firstly meet the owners. “We have to follow the procedure dictating us to firstly meet the owner, otherwise we will be the one who have the legal problem for violating procedure,” said Adi Astawa.

With regard to possible penalty, Adi Arnawa said that everything should follow existing regulation. If their negligence sustains the third warning, following instruction of the Regent of Badung, the villa will be sealed immediately.

By location these villas are scattered in different districts of Badung. Kuta Utara has the most which is 26 villas. The remaining villas are 5 in Kuta Selatan, 2 in Kuta, and 4 in Mengwi.