Pasir regent warned not to be aggressive in issuing coal mining license

A senior legislator of the Pasir regency legislative council in East Kalimantan warned Regent Yusriansyah Syarkawi not to be too aggressive in providing new coal mining license to avoid massive environmental destruction as suffered by other neighboring areas.

Legislator Irma Jaya of the Golkar Party faction told the local Kaltim Post daily that the issuance of coal mining license in the future should involve the role of the legislative council.

He said that the council must be able to play a supervisory role to ensure that coal mining activities did not create serious damage to the environment.

Irma said that the council recently visited Hulu Sungai Utara regency in South Kalimantan, and coal mining activities in the area had damaged the environment.(*)