The proliferation of illegal mining activities in Ghana, coupled with it’s environmental dangers have forced Government to burn excavators seized from the various illegal mining Sites.
However the Small Scale miners have served notice the burnt excavators belong to their group members who legitimately acquired the land and permit to mine.
At the press conference, the small scale miners revealed that, the inane decision of government to burn excavators and eliminate unlicensed operators came as a shock to them.
They said, the proposed burning of excavators and others who engaged in the illegal mining activities isn’t the best way to reduce illegal mining activities in the country.
The General Secretary of the Small Scale Miners Association, Godwin Armah, revealed the proposed burning of seized excavators to serve as deterrent to others is strictly unlawful. He continued to say that, there are laws that regulate the activities of illegal mining so the onus rest on the shoulders of the government to act in the accordance with the laid down laws that spelt out how the perpetrators are made to face the law without rancor.
” We should allow due process of the law to ensure that whoever found culprit is dealt with using right channel of the Law but as an Association, we will not endorse such diabolic act of burning anything”
The association called on Government to put pragmatic measures in place to resolve the impasse of illegal mining activities in Ghana.
By: Odoom Lawrence|Myxyzonline.com|Ghana.