Illegal mining hurts environment<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A Non-Government Organization wants a private
\ncompany prosecuted for illegally operating an open pit mine that
\nhas destroyed the environment near Bogor.<\/p>\n
Director of the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL)
\nMas Achmad Santosa said that the company, PT Gamidhana Putera
\nSela Adhi, should compensate the locals for destroying their
\nenvironment with dynamite.<\/p>\n
Santosa stated in his letter to Bogor Mayor Eddy Yoso
\nMartadipura that the operation had rendered the villagers' land
\ninfertile and cracked the foundations of their houses. The
\nillegal mining activities also caused landslides and damaged
\nroads and a nearby dam. The villagers suffered from the continual
\nloud explosions as well.<\/p>\n
The local government banned the company on Monday because its
\noperation license had expired on Jan. 13, 1993. This is not
\nenough, Santosa stressed. He said that the government must
\nconsistently enforce environmental laws and bring the delinquent
\ncompany to court.<\/p>\n
Last April, the Bogor District Court sentenced the director of
\ntwo sand excavation companies to six months in jail and fined him
\nRp 750,000 (US$360) for failing to mend the environmental damage
\nhis company had caused.<\/p>\n
ICEL learned about the unlawful open pit mine from 12
\nresidents from the Cikuda village in the Parung Panjang district
\nand from Kertajaya village in the Rumpin district. They lodged
\ntheir complaint with the organization and the National Human
\nRights Commission as well.<\/p>\n
Santosa said that the Home Affairs Ministry and the Ministry
\nof Mining and Energy had issued regulations to prevent pit mining
\nwhich jeopardized the environment. The mining continued because
\nof the local mining authority was unwilling to shut them down.
\nThe local government's policies emphasize revenue more than the
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
Regulations<\/p>\n
\"If the existing regulations are fully implemented, illegal
\nmining and indiscriminate exploitation of the environment can be
\nminimized,\" Santosa said.<\/p>\n
He said that the local monitoring agency does not work, and
\nthat pit mining licenses are issued without considering the
\nimpact on the environment.(sim)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/illegal-mining-hurts-environment-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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