The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, says the government will soon roll out new interventions in its efforts to deal with illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey.
According to the Minister, the measures form part of the government’s commitment to addressing the menace, which has generated concerns among civil society groups, religious groups, organised labour, and individuals.
Speaking in an interview with Citi News, the Minister said the recent meeting between labour and the president was “very productive and fruitful.”
He revealed that one of the key actions to be taken is the repeal of LI 2462, a legislative instrument that currently allows mining activities in forest reserves.
Mr. Jinapor added that the government remains committed to combating galamsey and will not back down.
He said the necessary resources and policy changes will be implemented to safeguard the environment and prevent further destruction from illegal mining.
“Consensus was reached that the government will take steps to repeal LI 2462 when Parliament resumes and also ensure the expeditious trial of offenders. Be it as it may, the government took notice of the announcement [of Organised Labour] that went on yesterday [Monday] but there are some other interventions that we are working on and they will be made known in the coming days. River guards and the navy will be patrolling our river bodies, with other interventions.”
“The number one driver of deforestation is agriculture and that is not to suggest mining does not do the same. Mining on river bodies is banned and they are red zones mining is not permitted 100 meters away from our water bodies and we are even planning to make it 200 meters small-scale mining is also not permitted in forest areas.”
“The impression should never be created that we are just waking up to take action against this menace. Operation Halt has been happening almost every fortnight and we are going to intensify that,” he stated.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
