Top mining official to help South Kalimantan to obtain coal royalty fee

Director general of mining Surna T. Djajadiningrat vowed on Thursday to help the South Kalimantan administration to be able to obtain soon the royalty fee paid coal-mining companies operating in the province via the central government.

Surna was quoted by the local Banjarmasin Post daily as saying that the funds were needed to finance the land reclamation and rehabilitation activity in the ex-mining sites.

Surna was speaking at a gathering session with the local administration in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.

He was responding to complaints that the administration had been unable to obtain the royalty fee.

But Surna said that he had no idea how much money did the central government owed the South Kalimantan administration. (*)