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Gold miners in the controversial Marudi mining district in Region Nine have expressed disappointment with the law pace in which their concerns are being dealt with.Minister Robert Persaud (right) meeting with members of the Marudi Miners’ Association on March 14.Almost a month after their plight was publicly highlighted in a video recording of a beating by police ranks, the miners are still awaiting a decision on several recommendations and requests put to Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Robert Persaud.The miners had met with Persaud on March 14, last, at his Ministry, where it was agreed that lands within the concession owned by Romanex Guyana Explorations Limited, would have been released to them through a lottery process.This process is expected to take several weeks to be finalized.The miners suggested that in the interim, all unfinished pits be worked until completion, so that their significant investments could be covered.“The Minister agreed to ‘sleep on it (think about it)’ and get back to us within 24 hours. He has not communicated with us since then,” the Marudi Miners’ Association said.The miners, most of whom were operating in Marudi for several years,Arian Foster Tennessee Jersey, were booted from the mining district by police backed by heavily armed private security personnel,LaMarcus Aldridge Texas Jersey, operating under the umbrella of a foreign mining company.According to the miners, Minister Persaud has agreed that there is a possibility that the alluvial mining by the small miners will be permitted, while bed-rock mining will be done by the larger Romanex Mining Company.However, reliable sources have informed that this proposal has not gone down well with the foreign mining company.Kaieteur News understands that heavily armed guards remain in the area and are blocking the main access trail to the mining sites.The miners have expressed fear for their physical well-being as well as their claims, which are left unattended as a result of their forced eviction from their mining sites.RomanexLocal authorities had announced earlier this month that they are reviewing the licence of Romanex Guyana Explorations Limited, after investigations revealed that the company has failed to carry out exploratory works in keeping with its requirements.According to a release from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Romanex was granted a licence to mine at Marudi Mountains, Region Nine,Montee Ball Wisconsin Jersey, since April 17,LaMichael James Oregon Jersey, 2009.A site visit by officials of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), an arm of the Ministry, found no activities.“A site visit revealed no mining or exploration on behalf of the company was ongoing, while the company had earlier committed to carrying out exploration activities within the early part of 2013. However,Stanford Cardinal Jerseys, it is evident that no work is expected to commence on the property in the near future as no mining plan has been submitted.”The Marudi Mountain Mining Licence was granted to Romanex Guyana Exploration Ltd. on April 17,SACA Jerseys, 2009,Cheap Stanford Cardinal Jerseys, after the company had held a Prospecting Licence (large scale) from 1990 to 2009. It is reportedly over 55 square kilometres.Miners of that Region Nine area have been locked in a battle with Romanex for a number of years now, with the matter even engaging the attention of the court.“Their (Romanex) guards are preventing us from accessing our equipment,NFL Jerseys Outlet,” the Marudi miners lamented.The miners are also awaiting the outcome of an investigation that was ordered by Minister Persaud, into claims that they paid royalties and sold gold to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission had threatened that several miners will face charges for failing to declare the gold mined from the area.“Overall, the bigger issue is regularisation and at the end of the day, they have all committed to doing so. No form of any illegal act will be tolerated and the GGMC and the Guyana Gold Board have been mandated to undertake a comprehensive investigation into these claims.”Several miners from the Marudi area have claimed that, until recently, they were selling gold mined from the disputed area to GGMC and Gold Board officials. Several receipts have been reportedly produced to back up these claims.For the Marudi miners, the current stalemate situation is frustrating since they cannot generate the necessary finances to first offset their expenses and secondly maintain their families.“We have to lay off workers for up to a month or even more until the lottery. The Minister is still ‘sleeping’,” one of the miners told Kaieteur News.“All we are asking for is permission to finish our pits. This will give us the finances to enable us to move out,” another miner explained.The miners had enlisted the services of prominent attorney at law, Nigel Hughes, to engage the relevant authorities on the matter.However, Hughes suffered a heart attack while on a fact finding visit to the Marudi area two weekends ago, and is presently undergoing corrective heart treatment in Trinidad.The miners are concerned that advantage could be taken of the situation now that their legal representative is temporarily out of the way.“We wish Mr. Hughes a speedy recovery. It was unfortunate that while in the pursuit of evidence and information for the purpose of proving our legality,San Diego State Aztecs Jerseys, he fell ill. We are grateful for his efforts so far and hope to see him back to full health as early as possible,” a statement from the Marudi Miners’ Association said. |
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