Marudi miners who face eviction for illegal operations will today again be meeting personnel from the Ministry of Natural Resources in keeping with an agreement when the two sides met last Thursday.
“We have another meeting Monday on other issues that we had discussed…we don’t want to make public certain things that we discussed, as yet, but there are still some things left and we said we would meet again so we will”, President of the Rupununi Miners Association, Sugrim Singh told Stabroek News yesterday.
He informed that Alliance For Change Chairman Nigel Hughes had been scheduled to visit the area on Saturday and was on his way when he suffered a heart attack.
A resident of Lethem said that Hughes had met with some residents of the area as complaints had been raised about their livelihoods being compromised due to the heavy dependency on the miners and farming in the Marudi area.
Two week ago the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) swooped on the area and discovered 14 dredges working illegally. Cease orders were issued to those that were actually operating and the others were told to move on. The GGMC later said that charges were being prepared against the dredge operators.
Over 300 persons from the Lethem district had signed a petition to the President asking for him to intervene so that there could be an amicable resolution to the problem. They said the evictions would affect miners, shop owners and the producers of crops, such as bananas, cassava and plantains, which would strip them of commerce and some of their food supply. They also said that the crop cultivation is evidence that they have lived on the lands for many years. Some of these persons are now seeking legal representation to fight their removal.
GINA noted that on Thursday, ministry officials met with miners and among general concerns raised were efforts to end illegal mining in the Marudi Mountain and access to mining properties by small miners in the location.
It added that it was agreed that through representatives of the Rupununi Miners’ Association that GGMC’s efforts to curb illegal mining will be through special planning and land management. “This will also be used as a guide towards building government’s capacity to undertake integrated regional planning procedures and better manage its mapping, cadastral and land administration data base supported; they will collaborate with the GGMC and the Guyana Police Force in the ongoing investigation of the police-supported operation at Marudi Mountain where allegations of police excesses were made, and a Special Mining Lottery will be held on March 30, 2013 in Lethem for legitimate small miners/residents of Region 9,” GINA noted, while adding that the association indicated its support of the ongoing review of Romanex Mining Licence for the Marudi Mountain.
Singh said that the lottery will be divided into two parts, one consisting of 25 parcels for 25 dredge owners who worked the Romanex concession and another 25 for other persons from the Rupunnuni district. He said presently they are checking the identities and validity of the names of the persons to submit to the Ministry of Natural Resources.
