Gold Mining In Ghane Community Has Brought Us Hell - TAMCI I McBash Media
The Savannah Research and Advocacy Network and the Talensi mining communities' initiative (TAMCI) have jointly organised a press conference with a call for a resettlement or compensation committee to be set up to negotiate processes of resettling occupants at Obuasi site in the Gbane community in the Talensi District to pave way for the operation of Earl International Group.
According to them, all concessionaires who have portions of land where Earl International formerly known as Shaanxi has acquired for its large-scale mining operations should be given up to 7 percent royalty. Speaking at the press conference in Bolgatanga, the capital of the Upper East Region, the secretary of the Talensi mining communities initiative (TAMCI) Mr. Bright Laandolba further called on the Ghana Immigration Service to look into the legal statuses of all Chinese workers at Shaanxi, now Earl International mine at Gbane and called on Parliament to investigate the issuance of the license to Earl International Group amidst all license fields.
They also added that the 16 young men who died during a blast should be integrated into the Bantama concessions as stakeholders. According to TAMCI, the mining companies fail to comply with relevant laws and regulations of the Mining and Minerals Act 2006 ( Act 703) on compensation, resettlement, safety and local content to the disadvantage of the citizens whose gold is being stolen to enrich foreign lands. According to TAMCI, it saddens them to note that Earl International and Cardinal Resources do not respect and adhere to the laws of this country because they have received help from local traditional and political authorities.
They also indicated that the reckless mining practices introduced by Earl International in the Gbane area have caused many tragedies which claimed many lives with the death of the 16 young and energetic men being a clear example. Earl International according to the group is recruiting Chinese Nationals as supervisors who can not communicate with any team in operation in the local dialect. Members of the teams understand that bases are a breach of Regulations 508 of LI 2182. This deadly lapse was revealed in a Minerals Commission as one of the reasons the 16 young men died in 2019 in Talensi.
They also alleged that funds for the compensation were lodged in one of the accounts of the Regional Coordinating Council for onward disbursement to the concessionaires and that was organized in a take-on-leave manner under the supervision of the Regional Minister.
According to TAMCI, it is unacceptable that the RCC takes direct responsibility from a private large-scale mining company, Earl International by paying compensation on its behalf. This raises serious concerns about conflict of interest. They also added that RCC represents the state and therefore being in charge of Earl International's disbursement of cash compensation is alarming. They added that some aggrieved members of the Unique Mining Company have petitioned the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) about how USD 150,000.00 meant to compensate them for trespasses by Shaanxi now Earl International into their concession was fraudulently paid to Robert Boazor Tampoar by the Regional Minister, which is a question many are asking why the Regional Minister will pay such money to Robert Boazor Tampoar knowing that it was meant for the group.
Story by Major
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