The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) has described the decision to rescind permits for river bank mining as “harsh and unreasonable.”
A week after the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) announced the rescinding of the permits, the GGDMA yesterday broke its silence and criticised what it described as a the lack of specifics for the decision, which was taken without consultation.
“The only way that the GGDMA can fathom that such a move is a sensible and justifiable one is if all the operations previously given permission were scrutinised and were all found to be in violation of the mining permission. Otherwise the ‘Peter pays for Paul and Paul pays for all’ approach is very worrying and irregular,” the GGDMA said in a statement issued yesterday.
It added that miners who are mining within the limits of the agreements should not be penalised for the actions of those who are in breach of the agreements.
It further said that while it understands the GGMC’s desire to enforce the mining permissions/agreements and to have compliance in the sector, this process should be done via “a genuine private and public partnership,” where there is consultation and education before action.
