Mining

Big outlay for mining roads next year
-miners meeting hears
Saturday, November 11th 2006
Stabroek News

The Guyana Gold and Dia-mond Miners Association (GG&DMA) is looking at the maintenance of roads, training of designated miners to diagnose malaria, and the establishment of a radio base for co-ordination of communication among miners.

These developments were aired at the GG&DMA's last bi-monthly meeting held at the association's headquarters on Quamina Street.

GG&DMA secretary Edward Shields told miners that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) had approved a budget of $800M for road improvement in 2007. It is a significant move from zero to $140M plus in 2006 to $800M next year, the secretary said.

The funds, said Shields, come from miners' rental fees of which GGMC will take 25% and that amounts to some $300M while the remainder of the funds are taken from royalty payments.

The second issue surrounding roads pertains to those maintained and built up by timber companies. Enquiries, Shields told the miners, revealed there was no such thing as a private road. No one can stop another from using a road. However there is a road protocol, which says that if one is maintaining a road that person would have some authority but blocking of roads with trucks "must be made a thing of the past."

He said it was really timber industry vehicles that contributed to the destruction of roads. He asked, "How could mining transportation compare to big trucks with skidders...?"

Exploitation by

foreigners

Shields then turned his attention to what he referred to as the exploitation of the mining industry by foreigners and noted that some 100 Chinese were found in the interior unknown to the government. He said this in the context of locals having a hard time acquiring permits. Shields said too that the Amerindians do not talk about how they are being exploited in the timber industry.

The processing of work permits, said Shields, has been known to take some 7,8, 9 or 10 months and still sometimes miners were not able to get their permits. However, he said, following a meeting with the Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Angela Johnson a new policy has been implemented. According to this new arrangement, he said, "from the day one applies for a permit to the day it is actually received should not be longer than two weeks."

With regard to penalties for persons found without permits, he said those who are already in the industry would not be asked to leave and should seek to find out why no permit had been issued. However for those miners who have no evidence of a permit to show, the law would apply. This new policy, he informed his colleagues, was implemented only a week ago.

Security

Turing to the burning issue of security, Shields said two documents on the issue have been prepared dealing firstly with miners' personal security and, secondly, better policing. For instance it was noted that police stations established years ago in areas that are now less busy than they once were should be shifted to areas like Oranapai - the scene of several big robberies recently.

He mentioned also a meeting scheduled with Acting Commissioner of Police Henry Greene on November 19. He said it was hoped that miners could work together with the police for better security.

In relation to health, the secretary stated that a Memorandum of Under-standing (MOU) was signed with the Ministry of Health and PAHO on malaria which states that miners can designate workers who will be trained to diagnose the disease using smears among other relevant techniques.

Miners will get free medicine and impregnated nets though these would be assigned to dredge owners and are not supposed to be brought into Georgetown. Miners are however asked to provide the logistics to move the items. Companies, he said, could work with the Ministry to look after their individual camps. The date for training of camp personnel however is yet to be finalized while the source of the equipment for diagnosis is yet to be cleared up.

Vice-President of the GG&DMA Norman Mclean mentioned that in addition to resuscitating monthly meetings with the Commissioner of Police and miners in the hinterland to share information on security and intelligence gathering, efforts are being made for the association's members to co-ordinate communication with the setting up of a radio base, possibly at the GG&DMA's Quamina Street office. (Christopher Yaw)