Govt to issue guidelines on confiscated wood<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Public Housing Akbar Tandjung
\nsaid in a hearing yesterday with the House of Representatives'
\nCommission V that the government will issue technical
\ninstructions on the use of wood confiscated from illegal logging.<\/p>\n
\"The instructions are being prepared by a technical team under
\nthe coordination of the office of the State Minister of Public
\nHousing,\" Tandjung said.<\/p>\n
He added that the instructions will be issued in the near
\nfuture.<\/p>\n
The minister told the commission, which is in charge of
\nhousing, public works and transportation, that the instructions
\nwill, among others, let the use of the confiscated wood for the
\nconstruction of low-cost and medium-cost public housing.<\/p>\n
\"The instructions will help us fulfill the government's target
\non the construction of 500,000 houses during the current Sixth
\nFive Year Development Plan period,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The low-cost and medium-cost houses to be built with the
\nconfiscated wood will measure between 21 square meters and 36
\nsquare meters on land areas of between 54 square meters and 200
\nsquare meters.<\/p>\n
\"According to President Soeharto's guideline, the wood,
\nconfiscated from illegal logging, should be used to increase the
\nability of low-income people to buy good houses,\" Tandjung said,
\nadding that it is expected to reduce the price of the houses.<\/p>\n
A joint ministerial decree was signed recently by Minister of
\nForestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo, State Minister of Public
\nHousing Akbar Tandjung, Attorney General Singgih, Police Chief
\nGeneral Banurusman and Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad to
\nallow the use of confiscated wood and to give low-income people
\nan opportunity to purchase good-quality houses at affordable
\nprices.<\/p>\n
The confiscated wood, which will be rendered free to the State
\nHousing Company, will not be subject to reforestation fees or
\nforest royalties, which can reach up to a total of Rp 50,000 per
\ncubic meter of equivalent logged wood. The company only has to
\npay for transportation, storage and preservation expenses.<\/p>\n
\"In some places, the wood confiscated from illegal logging has
\nalready been prepared, but we have to wait because there are no
\nfurther instructions to use them,\" Tandjung said.<\/p>\n
So far, the total volume of stolen logs, over the past year,
\nreached seven million cubic meters, worth about Rp 225 billion
\n(US$100.2 million).<\/p>\n
Tandjung explained that the prepared instructions will also
\nstate that not all types of wood, however, will be subject to the
\nplan.<\/p>\n
The regulation will mostly affect wood obtained from bayur
\n(pterospermum spp.), eucalyptus, kenanga (cananga odorata),
\nkeruing (dipterocarpus spp.) and merbau (instia spp.) trees,
\nbut confiscated teakwood, meranti (shorea sp.) and a number of
\nother types of first-class wood will still be auctioned. (31)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-to-issue-guidelines-on-confiscated-wood-1447893297",
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