March 10, 2026 | 02:49 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM) in East Kalimantan has won a public information dispute regarding the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) infrastructure project. This victory follows the Supreme Court's decision to reject an appeal filed by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR).
JATAM Campaigner Alfarhat Kasman stated that the government's claim that the development of IKN will result in an ideal city with a "sponge city" concept and clean energy usage is not in line with actual development practices in the field.
"The government's claim that IKN will become an ideal city with the 'sponge city' concept and the use of 100 percent clean energy is a deliberate deception displayed by the government through a parade of geo-engineering and the manipulation of knowledge," Alfarhat told Tempo on Monday night, March 9, 2026.
The dispute began when JATAM East Kalimantan submitted a request for public information to the Ministry of PUPR on October 17, 2022. In the request, JATAM sought several documents related to the construction of the Sepaku Semoi Dam, intake infrastructure, and the transmission pipeline network in the Sepaku-Semoi River, Penajam Paser Utara Regency, East Kalimantan.
However, in a letter dated November 25, 2022, the Ministry of PUPR stated that it could not provide all the requested information. JATAM subsequently filed an objection with the superior of the Officer in Charge of Information and Documentation (PPID) of the Directorate of Water Resources at the Ministry of PUPR on December 22, 2022.
On February 10, 2023, the Ministry of PUPR again rejected the request on the grounds that the requested documents included exempted information. PUPR argued that the documents were related to the protection of intellectual property rights and the potential for unhealthy business competition.
In response to the rejection, JATAM East Kalimantan filed a public information dispute lawsuit with the Central Information Commission on February 22, 2023. The lawsuit concerned seven documents containing information about IKN infrastructure development.
After a trial process lasting approximately 13 months, the Central Information Commission granted part of JATAM's request on March 4, 2024. The Commission ordered the Ministry of PUPR to disclose five out of the seven requested documents, including the Environmental Impact Analysis (AMDAL) for the construction of the Sepaku Semoi Dam and the intake infrastructure and transmission pipeline network of the Sepaku River.
Subsequently, the Ministry of PUPR filed an objection with the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) on April 2, 2024. However, the Jakarta PTUN rejected the request on August 1, 2024. PUPR then filed a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court on August 13, 2024. The Supreme Court eventually rejected the cassation appeal through a decision dated November 18, 2025.
Read: IKN Receives US$2.49mn Grant from US for Smart City Planning
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