Reclamation plan still in trouble

Reclamation plan still in trouble

SEMARANG, Central Java: The government of Central Java and legislators are still divided over the controversial plan to reclaim the coastal areas of the provincial capital.

Harini, spokeswoman for the city administration, said over the weekend that the governor had agreed to the reclamation plan which was opposed by members of the provincial assembly.

Antara quoted some legislators as saying that if the plan to reclaim the coastal areas is carried out, it may damage the environment and flood the city, especially during the rainy season.

Over the past decade Semarang has been repeatedly hit by floods and they may worsen if new factories are built on the reclaimed areas.

Noting that the public was overly worried about the plan, Harini said that the reclamation of coastal areas was actually designed to expand the land plots of the city and that, with proper planning, it would not have any harmful effects.

Assembly members Hisyam Ali and H. Minardi, however, insisted that legal procedures and regulations should first be issued, in line with the provincial development plan. (16)