TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said that currently a number of regencies in 19 provinces implement the Regional Regulation on Spatial Planning (RTRW). The provinces have updated the regulation based on Law No. 26/2007 on Spatial Planning.

According to Hatta, 30 percent provinces are still using the outdated RTRW regulation. Hatta did not specify which provinces are complying or not complying with the new regulation. He only provided examples of several areas that have not adhered to Forestry Ministry regulations, such as Batam, Bintan, and Karimun.

Hatta stated that in accordance with Forestry Ministry regulations, such areas are considered forests. “But it has long been known that some of them are investment areas,” he said after a coordinating meeting about RTRW in his office on Monday, January 13, 2014.

Hatta added that the government has established a joint team consisting of the Forestry Ministry and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries to adjust the RTRW of a region. According to him, the team suggested an adjustment to meet both ministries’ requirements. “The discrepancies have been discussed and resolved. It is currently in the process of adjustments,” said Hatta.

In addition to Batam, Bintan and Karimun, another region whose RTRW needs adjustment to comply with the regulation is Benoa Bay in Bali. The Bali administration has previously found an overlap between conservation and investment areas in Benoa. According to Hatta, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has been asked to verify.

FAIZ NASHRILLAH