Miners to fund fire tender for Mahdia

The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) has made a commitment to purchase a fire tender, with the assistance of regional and community officials, for Mahdia following last Thursday’s devastating blaze.

According to the GGDMA, the association is in the process of engaging the Mahdia Mining Committee and regional officials on how assistance which is being provided by the association via the Mahdia Relief Fund (MRF) can be utilized.

The GGDMA stated that after the rebuilding process is undertaken in the community, measures should be put in place to prevent future catastrophes and the association has identified the purchase of a fire tender specifically for the mining community.

The MRF, which was established on July 1 following the fire with the aim of assisting miners and members of the mining community, has seen some $10M being raised  for the community while several companies have made commitments to chip in.

The association noted that the rebuilding process and distribution of resources dedicated for this purpose must be done in compliance with the regulations governing the community and regional authorities. The GGDMA noted that it is monitoring the situation in the community regarding the supply and price of commodities and it also called on suppliers to examine methods to subsidize the impact the fire has had on the community.

Meantime, investigations into last Thursday evening’s fire are ongoing  and according to officials in the Region 8 community, fire officials were sifting through the rubble over the past few days as they gather information on the possible cause of the inferno. Regional Chairman Senor Bell told Stabroek News that the fire may have been electrical in origin while persons in the community told this newspaper that it was deliberately set after the relationship between a businessman and his partner went sour.

The fire occurred in an area known as ‘the Arcade’, the central hub of mining activities in the area, leaving a few dozen persons homeless while several businesses, more than 90% of which are owned by coastlanders, were reduced to ashes.

The administration has pledged its support to the region in light of the fire while residents have embraced plans set out by the regional authorities to construct a modern market on the razed structure, with those affected by the fire to be given first preference when such plans bear fruit.