Increase Operations, PT Timah Orders Illegal Mining With Internal Task Force

Photo: Special

JAKARTA - PT Timah Tbk (TINS) formed an internal task force (task force) to strengthen the company's operations.

President Director (Managing Director) of PT Timah Restu Widiyantoro said, so far the PT Timah task force has been helping the company to improve the situation in the mining business permit area.

Restu explained that this task force was given several tasks, including, first, blocking or refreshment the Bangka Belitung area so that it could not be entered by illegal mines.

"Because we realize that all this time in Bangka Belitung we have competed freely or head-to-head between legal and illegal ones," he said at a Hearing Meeting (RDP) with Commission VI of the DPR RI, Monday, September 22.

Restu said, so far PT Timah has been tasked with carrying out mining activities with a legal process. However, he considered, this 473,310 hectares IUP holding company often lost to illegal miners.

"Why lose? Because the illegal one, his name is illegal, has never paid taxes, has never paid royalties, and so on. But we are always in a losing position because royalties have to be paid, then reclamation services must also be paid, so that competing freely in the field in Bangka Belitung, we cannot compete," explained Restu.

Restu n melanjutkan, tugas satgas yang kedua dalam melakukan penertiban penambangan ilegal. Restu mengaku pihaknya akan mengorgankan semua penambag ilegal agar terdaftar dan melakukan per mining secara ilegal di wilayah izin usaha milik PT Timah.

He explained that there are two ways, namely, by empowering cooperatives. Until now, Restu noted that there were 30 cooperatives of miners, employee cooperatives, and fishermen cooperatives.

"Furthermore, hopefully there will be more, 100, 200, or 300 cooperatives needed," he said.

In addition to empowering cooperatives, PT Timah will also deploy mining partners so that the community can develop in legal ways.

"Our provisions are only one, whoever mines legally, therefore lead is obtained from PT Timah's IUP, so the lead must enter PT Timah," explained Restu.

Meanwhile, the last step taken by the task force is to bring order to collectors who have been acting as collectors of illegal miners at PT Timah IUP.

"Hopefully in these three ways, the dignity and benefits of the community can increase so that Bangka Belitung becomes a paradise for people living in Bangka Belitung," said Restu.