For years, acts of noncompliance and corruption have been tolerated in the mining industry. But under this new dispensation, it will be wiped out. This stern sentiment was expressed by Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes on Monday. She was at the time, delivering brief remarks at a workshop that was held at the Herdmanston Lodge for sand and loam quarry mining.
There, Minister Broomes said that for some time, there has been noncompliance with respect to payments of royalty. Broomes said that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission will be working to address this.
She said, “The commission intends to take serious action. You cannot have a mining pit where you are conducting business for a profit and you make your business, you extract and the royalty that is owed is not paid. The Commission will be taking strict action in those regards.”
Minister Broomes added, “Loam, sand and quarry mining is one that the commission will be addressing like all other mining. Be it bauxite, gold, diamond, lithium it is mining so I want to put you on notice very early and from the outset that the manner in which you were conducting business before and were allowed, it will not happen.”
Further to this, the Minister said that all stakeholders have and must play their part in the development of the country’s green economy:
“The greening of Guyana and our economy is a responsibility of all. It’s not just at the level of government or the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission. It’s also all of the stakeholders in the industry. You have your role to play and together in this room, all of us can make a brighter and better Guyana,” Minister Broomes said.
The sand and loam quarry workshop was organized by GGMC with the aim of educating sand and loam pit operators of their obligations regulations, safe practices and responsibilities as government’s efforts to ensure safer and sustainable mining practices continue as part of the green state development agenda. (Modified from the Department of Information)
