Bogor seeks help against illegal mines

BOGOR: The Bogor regency mining agency has asked for help from public order officers to stop illegal sand mining in a number of villages.

The head of the mining agency, Ridwan, said on Thursday a number of mine operators had ignored warnings to halt their illegal activities.

"So we are asking for help from public order officers to stop these activities," he said.

He said illegal mining was taking place in a number of villages in Tamansari and Ciomas districts. According to Ridwan, there were 13 illegal mines in Tamansari district covering 3,670 square meters of land, and two in Ciomas district covering 2,000 square meters of land

He said his agency had issued permits for 91 mining operations exploiting areas ranging from three hectares to four hectares each.

Sand mining contributes about Rp 24 billion to the Bogor regency budget each year.

Both legal and illegal sand mining operations have caused serious environmental damage in many villages in the regency. -- JP