At leas 12 sand mining companies operating in Riau province will be soon closed down for not having proper permits, according to the local mining office.
Thamrin Hasyim, the head of the mining office in the province, said in Pekanbaru on Tuesday, said that an inter-governmental team was investigating the case in major sand producing regencies such as Batam, Bengkalis and Kepri.
"We are still waiting for the information from the team before making any decision," he said, adding that if they really operated without proper licenses, his office would ask the ministry of mining and energy to revoke their operating permits.
Like other mining companies, sand miners are required to obtain a series of licenses both from the provincial administration and the ministry to carry out their operation.
The sand mining companies suspected of operating illegally or having no complete permits include PT CHA, PT IYP, PT BBS, PT BM, PT ERS, PT HMM, PT HMLM, PT HSR, PT IY, PT SDS and PT STUI. (*).
