Governor halts work on coal railway being built without permits in Indonesian Borneo.
After coming under public scrutiny, Central Kalimantan Governor Sugianto Sabran halted the construction of a railroad being built to transport coal through forested areas of the province.
Missing permits Arin Dius Nanyan, supervising project coordinator for PT Lahang Bumi Persada, a contractor appointed by PT SUS to run the project, conceded in mid-May that licensing is still in process, but argued the coal railway is a national strategic project.
Thing is, this is a government program, a result of [Indonesian President] Jokowi’s visit to Russia.
Aronggear, head of planning and utilization of forests, confirmed the railway does not yet have the necessary documentation from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
“SUS is still in the process of submitting for a borrow-to-use permit.
Actually, before the permit is issued by the central government, there cannot be activity in the area.
The view from the village Rambang, village head of Tewang Karangan told Mongabay on May 14 that he had already submitted a complaint about the railway construction, but that development continued.
This, according to them, is a cooperative project between the central government and Russia.” Several citizen complaints have also been submitted since work on the project began in 2016, Rambang added, but so far no action had been taken.
The environmental impact is not yet felt during the construction process, but it will surely be felt in the future.” Rambang fears a coal port along the river will lead to water pollution.