Village chief criticizes BCS for failing to start road construction

South Kalimantan-based coal producer PT Bahari Cakrawala Sebuku (BCS) has been strongly criticized by a local village chief for failing to comply with an earlier agreement to start constructing a 14-km road this month.

The local Banjarmasin Post daily reported on Friday that under a May 2 agreement with the local people of Rampa Sungai Bali Village, in Sebuku district, BCS is supposed to start the road construction in one month after the signing of the agreement.

?So far, BCS has not yet built the road. This means that the company has lied to us,? Rampa Sungai Bali village head Amir was quoted as saying. The 14-km road was planned to link Rampa Sungai Bali with neighboring Sarakaman village.

Amir said local landowners had willingly surrendered their land for the road project, and that they were not compensated.

Australian mining company Straits Resources Limited holds an 80-percent stake in BCS which runs the Sebuku coalmine. (*)