Two contracts for leasing and mining were yesterday signed between the village council of Batavia, in Region Seven, and quarrying company EKAA HRIM Earth Resource Management Inc, under the supervision of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.
The signing which took place in the boardroom at the ministry’s offices saw Oren Williams, Toshao of Batavia and eight other councillors, along with Director of the EKAA HRIM Resource Management Inc, Jesvin Pradeep Kumar, and Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, inking the two contracts. Besides Guyana, EKAA has operations in India, the United Arab Emirates and Zambia.
According to the minister, the contract stipulates that the company would be given a lease of 1,089 acres of land, with a quarrying pit of 30 acres. The lease is valid for 15 years and can be extended after that.
Sukhai assured that the contracts will follow all duly constituted and legal procedures of the Amerindian Act, and as such, the village is to receive seven per cent in tribute from the mining work which is expected to begin sometime this year.
The tribute will be based on the amount of production each year.
The minister noted that the contracts will bring employment and an income to the Indigenous community and will also stimulate other opportunities for the village as well as contribute to government’s overall development plan for the country.
Kumar, the director of the company, further explained to the media yesterday, “One agreement will actually be for the land that we’re using in the Batavia village which we will be paying the lease for the land, the other one is the tribute… so it’s two agreements and two phases of funds.” He added that the tribute is based on the production that the company manages from the land. He also disclosed that the project which will be set up in the village in different phases, will be at a cost of US$20 million.
When asked how many persons from Batavia are expected to gain employment from the contracts, Kumar responded that his company is hoping to employ at least forty villagers who will gain jobs in both skilled and unskilled categories.
He noted that consultations with the village have been ongoing since the middle of last year while they were in the process of obtaining their licences.
Meanwhile, Toshao Williams expressed the opinion that the initiative is a great one for his village since it will help in the advancement of his people. “This is a very good opportunity for us to improve the lives of our residents in the village and we are seeing this project as a process that will change a lot of things for the life of our people… this is the first time we have done such a huge negotiation and signing of such a big contract… it will benefit my village a lot.”
