Rampant illegal mining activities due to weak legal enforcement

Rampant coal illegal mining activities in South Kalimantan have indicated the failure of the local government to carry out a legal enforcement, according to a legislator in the province.

Tabrani Tjakrta, the chairman of the Commission D of the province's Legislative Council (DPRD), said in Banjarmasin last week that the weak of the legal enforcement had not only caused a widespread of illegal coal mining activities but also caused the illegal mining problem more complicated.

He said that a continued increase in the coal production from illegal mining operations proved the inefficiency of the provincial legal apparatus in implementing the law.

"The increase in the coal production of the illegal miners from only 400,000 tons several years ago to 600,000 tons at present indicates the weakness of the legal enforcement," he was quoted as saying by Banjarmasin Pos on Monday.

Tabrani said the lack of the legal enforcement had made efforts to minimize the illegal mining operations more complicated because such mine operations had involved hundreds of workers. "Any measure to close their operations might result in social problem," he added.

But he said that it had not been too late to cope with the problem as long as the local government did no longer tolerate their operations. "Any one who is involved in the illegal mining activities should be taken to court. Their coal production should be seized as well," he said, adding that only with such tight measure, the illegal coal mining operations could be solved.

The illegal mine operations in the province have not only severely damaged the environment but have caused a major destruction in the province's main roads. (*)