Wrong Permit, Council Asks Babel Provincial Government To Cancel Forest Utilization Cooperation

Plenary Meeting On Submission Of Special Committee Recommendations On Forest Area Management And Utilization Permits In Bangka Belitung Islands Province (ANTARA)

The Special Committee (Pansus) of the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) of the Bangka Belitung Islands Province (Pemprov Babel) asked the Governor of the Babel Islands to cancel cooperation in the use of forest areas with four companies that were deemed to have violated their permits. "We hope that the provincial government will not issue a recommendation for cooperation with these four companies," said the Chairman of the Special Committee of the Bangka Belitung Islands DPRD, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, February 28. He said the recommendation to cancel cooperation with this company based on the results of hearings, hearings with related agencies, partners and stakeholders, as well as conducting a field review regarding the misuse of permits regarding the Location of Forest Area Management and Utilization Permits. "We, the Environmental and Forestry Service of the Babel Islands Province, did not issue any recommendations for the 4 companies above to apply for the adjustment of forest utilization permits to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia based on Law Number 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation," he said.

Acting Governor of the Babel Islands Ridwan Djamaluddin said he would follow up on the DPRD's recommendation regarding the cancellation of cooperation with companies in the utilization of industrial planting forests (HTI). "We have just received detailed recommendations this afternoon," he said. He said based on the recommendations from the DPRD that several industrial planting forest activities (HTI) in the Babel Islands Province were still not optimal. "There are still issues with the community and need to be evaluated," he said.