E. Kalimantan governor to inspect coal mining areas

Petromindo|Khalsa

East Kalimantan Governor Awang Faroek Ishak said he would inspect a number of mining areas in Kutai Kartanegara Regency, specifically in Mulawarman Village, Tenggarong Seberang District, as many of the mines there have not observed the principle of environmental sustainability in their operations.

Speaking in a gathering with the local media on Monday, Awang said, as quoted by a press statement issued by the provincial administration on Wednesday, he plans to launch an inspection on April 18 together with the military and the police as well as the media and non-governmental organizations.

He explained that there were also massive overlapping problems in the village, where almost 90 percent of the coal mining operations there have taken over the local people?s land initially allocated for food crops, which not only moves against the government?s program to achieve self-sufficiency in food crop production, but also has caused the local people to lose its farming, animal husbandry and plantation businesses.

Awang said that as the provincial has been given authority over mining business license, the administration plans to take actions to address the problem, but failed to spell out measures will be taken.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak