Ministry to further streamline mining permits

The Ministry of Mineral and Energy Resources is drafting a new ministerial regulation on work and budget plan (or better known here as RKAB) of mining companies in a bid to further streamline mining permits including for the use of explosives and foreign workers in mining operations.

?After we made assessment, there are more than 100 permits in the mining sector. There are 38 permits that can be merged into seven, and which can be further combined under one document called RKAB,? said Sony Heru Prasetyo, an expert staff to the minister, on Monday as quoted by Antara state news agency.

He explained that the RKAB document can be used by miners to get required permits from other institutions including permits for the use of explosives and foreign workers in mining operations.

He pointed out as an example that miners require recommendation from the ministry to get permit from the Police for the use of explosives. With the RKAB document, the miners will no longer be required to process the recommendation letter from the ministry as the RKAB document can be used as recommendation letter. ?So the RKAB can be used to process permit with other institutions,? he said, adding that the new ministerial regulation is expected to be issued at the end of this month. (*)