Building Of Cement Plant In Pati Continues

Pati, Jan 18 (ANTARA) - A cement plant will be built by PT Sahabat Mulia Saksi (SMS), but its reference framework and its environmental impact analysis (Amdal) are still being discussed along with several experts. Head of the Environmental Agency, Pati branch, Sudjono said in Pati Tuesday that the building of the cement plant in Pati has entered the initial discussions with a team of experts from a number of Indonesian universities before formulating the Amdal. "The meeting of the Amdal technical team of the construction of the cement plant in Pati today was attended by six expert teams from a number of universities," he said when speaking on the sidelines of a meeting at Hotel Gritary in Pati. He said the expert teams came from the Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana Salatiga, Universitas Sebelas Maret Purwanto, Gajah Muda University, Undip (Deponegoro University), Universitas Muria Kudus , and Unversitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran. He said the expert teams were necessary for inputs on matters which are important to the initiative makers through consultants in the making the Amdal. He said the time needed in making the Amdan is still long, as several stages still had to be gone through. The Amdal, he said, will include estimated impacts, like effects of water sources, the negative perception of the public, the changing public relation patterns due to existing pros and cons. People of Pati regency has often launched demonstrations against the building of the cement plant by PT SMS in Kayen and Tambakromo sub-districts. Earlier, PT Semen Gresik also has plans to build a cement plant in Sukolilo sub-district, Pati regency, but of no avail due to rejection of the people of Pati.