Seized mining equipment belonging to several small miners in the 14 Miles Issano District was returned on Tuesday November 14, following the intervention of David Daniels, Chairman of the Small Miner’s Association Guyana Inc., (SMAGI).
Daniels told Stabroek News yesterday that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission [GGMC] had confiscated the equipment following an operation targeting illegal mining in the district.
According to Daniels, he approached Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, to find an amicable solution to the situation. The SMAGI Chairman said he advocated for leniency on behalf of the miners and Bharrat responded positively by issuing a release order on the seized equipment. Daniels also shared a video statement with this newspaper showing him thanking Bharrat for taking this course of action and rendering his support to small miners.
Daniels said while he opposes illegal mining, he is nevertheless aware of the challenges small miners face in accessing legitimate mining lands as well as their noble struggle to provide for their families.
“I don’t support illegal mining, so I am not against what GGMC did but many of our miners are confronted by the challenge of not acquiring mining lands and many of them rely on this as their source of income”, David explained. “Many of these small miners started operations on Troy Resources land after the company halted operations in Guyana, so that is what happened”, he added.
Daniels urged the affected miners to strictly adhere to legal mining practices in the future, emphasizing the importance of responsible and lawful engagement in the mining industry. David said “this collaborative effort highlights the significance of communication between small miners, industry associations, and government bodies in addressing challenges and fostering a sustainable mining environment”. He also disclosed that following a meeting with Bharrat and the GGMC, several lands were secured for miners to commence operations. The Chairman is hoping that other lands will be made available for other small miners to commence operations since the land at Troy Resources is large and accommodating.
“There is currently a lottery system, and we are hoping that more lands would be available to the organization (SMAGI), so that more miners can access these lands and mine legally”, he stated. “Our objectives are getting our small miners to work legally and in a structured way so that we can help with the gold declarations because as you know that has dipped significantly”, Daniels noted.
“When we get small miners working on the Troy Resources land, they will be able to sell their gold to the Gold Board, which we agreed upon with the minister will boost national gold declaration and pay GGMC its …royalty, so that is what I am hoping for”, David said.
Stabroek News had previously reported that Australia-headquartered Troy Resources Guyana Inc., had closed its gold mining operations in Guyana.
