Bahlil Explains The Reasons For Withdrawing The Granting Of Permits For Sand Mining Quarters And Silika To The Center

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia (photo: dock. Antara)

JAKARTA - The central government plans to revoke the authority to issue a quartz sand mining permit from local governments. This step is prepared to improve governance, prevent misuse of permits, and ensure that natural resource management runs according to regulations.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia explained that this decision was one of the results of discussions at a Limited Meeting (Ratas) held by the President of the Republic of Indonesia with a number of ministers in Hambalang, Bogor, on Sunday, November 23.

"We held a limited meeting with the President to discuss various things, especially with regard to economic improvement, especially in the management of the Forest and Mining Area Control Task Force (PKH Task Force) to uphold state sovereignty over natural resources by returning illegally managed forest areas to countries that include the plantation and mining sectors," said Bahlil, Monday, November 24.

Bahlil emphasized that the government will not tolerate violations of the law in mining activities.

"I often go to the field. Indeed, illegal mines have IUPs, but they don't have a Borrowing Permit using Forest Areas (IPPKH). They carry out illegal mining and all of them will be given sanctions in accordance with existing regulations," he said.

At the Ratas, the government also highlighted allegations of unlicensed practices by a number of quartz sand miners, including findings of lead mixed in these commodities.

"The miner has a quartz permit but in it is lead, so yesterday it also decided that for the quartz and silica sand permits, which were originally withdrawn in the area to the center so that the governance can be managed properly again," said Bahlil.

With this withdrawal of authority, the central government will reorganize and evaluate all quartz sand mining permits to prevent overlapping and misuse of permits, while preserving the environment.

Previously, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources together with the Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, the TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto, and Attorney General ST Burhanuddin reviewed illegal mining activities in Bangka Belitung related to the rampant mining of quartz sand which violated the rules.

For information, quartz sand is designated as critical mineral based on the Decree of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Number 296.K/MB.01/MEM/B/2023 concerning Determination of Types of Commodities Classified as Critical Mineral Classification.