Fri, 25 Mar 2005

Province, regency battle over project

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post/Medan

A controversial hotel development in Merek, Karo, encroached into a protected forest, a team from the North Sumatra forestry office and forest area protection bureau said on Thursday.

Office head Prie Supriadi, said the team's result was based on the province's land resource plan, which showed that developer PT Merek Indah Lestari's hotel and golf course project overlapped with a protected area.

The result, he said, was disputed by Karo regency forestry officials because they held a conflicting view about where the boundaries for the conservation area were.

"The Karo administration should have accepted the team's work. We have no intention of obstructing development there -- what we're doing is protecting the sustainability of a protected forest ecosystem for the future," Prie told The Jakarta Post.

A permit to construct the hotel and golf course was issued by the Karo regental administration last year after the Regional Investment Coordinating Board in the province issued a permit for the company to go ahead with the project.

Karo regency forestry office head Ramli Sembiring confirmed his office had not yet received the team's report. However, he said the team's data was different from that of the office.

He said according to the team's data, there were around 10 hectares of protected forest area affected by the project. The land included land along the entrance road to the hotel and golf course.

According to data from the regency, only three hectares of the road encroached into the protected forested area.

"We discussed our different data two days ago in Medan; it was not fruitful meeting. That's why the team's result has not yet been approved by the Karo regental administration," Ramli said.

Early reports said the area which would be turned into hotel and golf course covering 210 hectares. The area had been purchased by the company from residents of the Tongging, Merek and Pangambatan villages in several phases.

Observation of the site two weeks ago found the company had began building a road allegedly without providing an environmental impact analysis.

Prie Supriadi said he would bring the team's result to Minister of Forestry M.S. Kaban.

"I'll present the team's report to the minister on Sunday. We hope the minister, with his authority, will stop construction in the protected area because we have tried to stop it ourselves but to no avail," Prie said.

The minister is scheduled to arrive in Medan on Saturday to start his working tour of the province.

One of the company's directors, Tamin Sukardi, when contacted through his cell phone, said he entrusted the matter to the government. "Whatever the government decides, we'll follow," he said.