On Water Tax Issue, West Java Opts For Negotiation

TEMPO Interactive, Purwakarta:All parties have agreed to re-negotiate the contract with PAM Jaya. Wewill meet with PAM Jaya, the Finance Department, PJT II and athePurwakarta regency government, saud Dede Yusuf in Jatiluhur, Purwakarta,yesterday.Dede did not confirm as to when the re-negotiation will be held, but heassured that the Jatiluhur Dam case will be his priority.Dede further said if the re-negotiation ends in a deadlock, he will nottake the case to court. I have no plans of bringing PAM Jaya to court,he said.The case began in 2002 when PAM Jaya failed to pay the Jatiluhur Damsurface tax to the West Java government. The amount of taxes owed, at Rp10 per cubic meter, totaled Rp 25 billion.According to regulations, 30 percent of what is owed by PAM Jaya will goto the West Java government, while the 70 percent will go to thePurwakarta Regency administration, which owns dam area.PAM Jaya director, Heryadi, claims his company has no unpaid dues. He alsosaid that PAM Jaya has never used any surface water from any river in WestJava, except the water in Jatiluhur Dam which flows through the WestTarum. Heryadi assured that he had paid fees to Jasa Tirta II, which isthe dams administrator.Jasa Tirta II CEO, Djendam Gurusinga, admitted to receiving payment forstill water of Rp 130 per cubic meter from PAM Jaya. However, Djendam saidit was for administration fees, as regulated in the Water Resources Laws.He claimed he never received water tax payments as part of theadministration fees.Purwakarta Regent, Dedi Mulyadi, said if the provincial government failsto collect the debt owed by PAM Jaya, he will still ask for the Rp 17billion which the West Java government owes to the Purwakartaadministration. That is compensation for the people, he said. The fundwas to be used to build a 38-kilometer road in Sukasari subdistrict,located across from Jatiluhur Dam. NANANG SUTISNA