President Bharrat Jagdeo on Monday met with a number of scrap metal dealers to outline the rules they will be expected to follow on resumption of the trade.
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Manniram Prashad, President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Komal Ramnauth and GT&T Chief Executive Offi-cer (designate) Yog Mahadeo also attended the meeting at Office of the President.
According to a Govern-ment Information Agency (GINA) press release Jagdeo also announced that all non-ferrous materials (such as copper) that had been stored in containers during the time the two-year ban was instituted will also be inspected.
In April, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds had suspended licensing and dealings in scrap metal of ferrous and non-ferrous materials after the reprimand on vandalism of metals went unheeded. The Prime Minister’s actions followed several complaints about vandalism on various, private and state property and commercial building sites containing the metal. Installations at the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) site at the Lama Conservancy, the pumping facility at the Guyana Sugar Corporation and the rails around church yards and accessible burial grounds had been removed.
In the light of the new conditions for resuming trade, Ramnauth told GINA that scrap metal dealers have agreed to be more vigilant in their operations. He said there are currently 75 containers on the wharf which are subject to inspections by the Office of the Prime Minister.
Additionally, exports of materials accumulated in yards will be permitted weekly after full inspection from relevant parties such as GT&T, the Guyana Water Incorporated and the Guyana Power and Light. Ramnauth further explained that such rules had existed in the past but checks had never been carried out in a structured manner such as being subject to full inspection.
The commerce ministry has been tasked with providing details about the different phases under which the new scrap metal trade rules and regulations will be instituted. The GCCI got involved in the process after stakeholders in the business sought the industry’s assistance to help resolve some of the problems they were experiencing, GINA said.
According to GINA, the Prime Minister had previously instituted a ban effective January 1, 2007 following similar trends in illegal activities. Subsequently, the Old Metal Dealers Act was amended granting government the authority over the scrap metal trade and the right to impose fines and criminal charges if necessary.
