Riau takes over controls of sand quarrying despite government objection

The Riau provincial administration has decided to take over the controlling rights on sand quarrying in the province from the central government despite the latter's objection.

Governor Saleh Djasit, in a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission VIII for mines and energy on Wednesday, said that he made the decision to protect the province's marine ecosystem from being damaged by sand quarrying operations.

He said he made the decision during a coordinating meeting with all regents, mayors and the provincial council on July 1.

Aside from oil, sand is the prime export commodity of the province. The province exports sand mainly to Singapore for construction projects.

Under the Mining Law No: 11/1967, sand falls under the C-category mining products, whose development is supervised by the provinces.

However, the government later issued a decree to take over the control of offshore sand quarrying operations.

The government once transferred the control of sand quarrying operations in Riau to the Batam Island's authorities but later took back the controlling rights.

The Riau provincial administration issued the Mining Bylaw No. 15/1999 to take over controlling rights on mining operations, including sand quarrying operations, in the province from the central government, referring to the Autonomy Law No: 22, 1999, which grants the provinces rights to manage its mining resources.

However, the central government dismissed the move as illegal, demanding the province to revoke the bylaw. It said the province was only able to issue such a bylaw after the central government issued a governmental regulation on the implementation of the Autonomy Law.

Djasit told legislators during the hearing that Minister of Mines and Energy Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in a meeting with him and the leaders of the provincial council on May 25, promised to issue a decree to transfer the controlling rights on sand quarrying to the province soon after the issuance of the regulation on the implementation of the Autonomy Law.

However, Djasit said, the minister broke his promise.

"During the May 25 meeting, the minister promised to issue the decree on the transfer of the sand quarrying controlling rights in the afternoon, if the governmental regulation on the implementation of the Autonomy Law is issued in the morning," Djasit recalled.

"However, the decree has not yet been issued, despite the fact that government had long issued the regulation on the implementation on the Autonomy Law," he said..

Thus, Djasit told legislators, he together with the province's regents, mayors and councilors decided to take a unilateral move to implement the Mining Bylaw No: 15/1999 without any approval from the central government.

Djasit added he and the province's regents, mayors and councilors have also decided to suspend all sand quarrying operations in the province for six months, except for the operations by the companies, which have legal documents.

He did not however reveal the reason behind the suspension. (*)