Forestry Ministry Shuts Down 50-Hectare Illegal Limestone Mine in Bogor, West Java

8 hours ago 3

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry has sealed a 50-hectare illegal limestone mining site in Gunung Karang, located in the Klapanunggal District of Bogor Regency, West Java.

According to Rudianto Saragih, Director of Forestry Criminal Enforcement, mining activities at four points within the area have caused damage to the limestone mountain.

He added that the site is connected to the Bekasi Watershed, contributing to environmental degradation across 50 hectares. “The excavation depth, which reaches between 10 to 20 meters, has altered the mountain’s shape to nearly flat,” he said in a written statement on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.

The ministry, in coordination with the Bogor Regency Public Works Agency, the Indonesian National Police’s Brimob Corps, the Military Police Center, and the Coordinator of Civil Servant Investigator Supervisors, confiscated nine excavators and three dump trucks. Nine workers were also questioned as witnesses.

Rudianto confirmed that the ministry is continuing its efforts to identify other individuals suspected of being involved in the unauthorized mining operation. The Directorate General of Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry is handling the legal proceedings against the mining operators.

The violations include the illegal use of forest areas, which fall under criminal provisions outlined in Paragraph 4 of Article 36, number 19 of Article 78 paragraph (3), and number 17 of Article 50 paragraph (2) letter a of Law Number 6 of 2023, which ratifies Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 2 of 2022 on Job Creation.

“The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison and a fine of up to Rp 7.5 billion,” Rudianto said.

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