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Judges order President Joko Widodo and six other senior officials to take action to clean up the capital’s dirty air.
An Indonesian court ruled that President Joko Widodo and six other senior officials failed in their duty to ensure that Jakarta residents can breathe clean air, in a long-delayed decision in a landmark court case.
The three judges of the Jakarta Central District Court ruled on Thursday in favor of the group of 32 residents who filed a lawsuit against Widodo, the ministers of interior, health and environment, and governors of Jakarta , Banten and West Java, to hold the government accountable for failing to ensure a healthy living environment in the city.
Presiding Judge Saifuddin Zuhri ordered the seven officials to take action to secure people’s health rights in Jakarta by tightening air quality regulations.
The court was supposed to have delivered its verdict on May 20, but the decision was delayed then postponed several times with judges blaming the weight of the evidence and the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also said corruption cases should be given priority, angering plaintiffs.
Jakarta has at least 10 million people and three times that number lives in its greater metropolitan area. It is regularly ranked among the most polluted cities in the world.
In addition to being a major cause of the smog that hangs over the city, traffic congestion is estimated to cost the economy an estimated $ 6.5 billion annually.
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