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. The governor’s decision followed a May 21 report by Mongabay’s Indonesian sister site, which documented that the developers of the Katingan-Gunung Mas coal railway had cleared forest land and laid roughly two kilometers (1.25 miles) of track despite apparently not having secured all of the necessary permits. Mongabay-Indonesia also observed the presence of excavators, workers and stacks of building material during a field visit to Tewang Karangan Village in the Katingan Regency of Indonesian Borneo’s Central Kalimantan Province. The project — designed to transport coal 90 kilometers to Katingan from the neighboring Gunung Mas Regency — also includes a coal port on the banks of the Katingan River in Tewang Karangan Village. Preliminary construction of the port had also commenced. Residents and environment activists fear the project will divide wildlife habitats and communities, pollute the river, damage local people’s livelihoods and spark conflict between local landholders.
