Batam started to be developed since the early 1970s as a logistics and operational base for the oil industry and gas by Pertamina. Then, based on Presidential No. 41 years old in 1973, the development of Batam to trust the government agency called Industrial Development Authority Batam Island or lebigh known as the Batam Authority.
The development of Batam Island is divided into several periods. The first period the year 1971-1976 is known by the name of the Preparation Period, led by Dr.Ibnu Sutowo. The second is a period of consolidation period (1976-1978), led by Prof.Dr.JB.Sumarlin, then is Peride Infrastructure Facilities Development and Investment, which lasted for 20 years. That year 1978-1998, by the Prof.Dr.BJ. Habibie next Leadership held by JE Habibie, the months march / d July 1998. This period is known by the name of Infrastructure Development and Investment Advanced. Then, since 1998 until now, under the leadership of Ismeth Abdullah called the Period of Development of Infrastructure Development and Investment Advanced with greater attention to the welfare of the people and improving the investment climate.
In order to implement the vision and mission to develop Batam, insfrastructure modern international standard was built, and so the various other facilities, so that when the interest of Tourism and able to compete with similar Pacific Asia region.
Many of the progress it has achieved to provide various fields such as business, which is able to accommodate the work force comes from almost all regions in the country. Similarly, the amount of revenues from the central time by time continue to increase. This is not because others are caused by high industrial activity, trade, took over when and tourism in territority. However, as a rapidly developing area, Batam also did not escape from the emergence of various social problems.
For that, in the context of the completion of the development of the island of Batam, which is in progress, the development is currently focused to the prosperity community programs run by social development. This is expected to be able to overcome the various social problems that arise as negative externalities from the development that has occurred during these 30 years.