JAKARTA. Ministry of Agrarian and Spatial will apply new rules for the land cultivation right (HGU) holders. Those rules are included in the draft of Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Regulation on Procedures of Land Cultivation Right (HGU).
The rules will include the prohibition of land clearing by burning. In addition, the HGU holders are subject to provide fire control facilities and infrastructures, including water sources.
They are also subject to implement crisis center for forest fires, forest fire extinguishment, as well as to handle post-fire land management on the concession area. Government will impose sanctions in the forms of written warning, fines, and license revocation to those who fail to comply with those rules.
Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Sofyan Djalil said that the new regulation aims at improving standard operation procedures of the HGU. “Therefore, the HGU holders have to maintain the concession areas,” Minister Sofyan said, Tuesday (27/12). Ministry of Agrarian is till accommodating inputs from public regarding these matters.
Avoid the overlapping
Chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) Joko Supriyono hopes that the government will simplify the process of granting the concession. To date, the procedures of releasing the HGU have been complicated. “The procedures should be simpler to ensure the legal certainty on investment,” he said.
According to Joko, the obligations to provide the facilities and infrastructures of forest fire may cause the overlapping rules. To date, some specific regulations have stipulated the obligations for HGU holders to maintain the environment. “There are Law on Environment, Law on Plantation, and Minister of Environment regulation. This (new regulation) will make the process even more complicated,” Joko said.
(Muhammad Farid/Translator)
