The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has disclosed that the government will soon announce some major interventions it will deploy in its attempts to fight illegal mining, commonly called galamsey.
Mr. Jinapor in an interview with Bernard Avle on the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM on Tuesday, October 8, said the government’s meeting with Organised Labour on its planned October 10 strike was “very productive and fruitful” and that the measures to curb the menace will commence with the repeal of LI 2462, a legislative instrument that currently permits mining in forest reserves.
“Consensus was reached that the government will take steps to repeal LI 2462 when Parliament resumed 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 minister also said agriculture is the leading driver of deforestation and not mining but the government is determined to fight the galamsey menace so the impression should not be created as though the fight against the destruction began with the pressure from Organised Labour weeks ago.
“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 waterbodies 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.”