Koforidua, March 18, GNA - Mr Fred Ohene-Kena, the Chairman of the Minerals Commission, has said government would not tolerate the behaviour of prominent persons in the society who connive with illegal miners to destroy the environment. He said by the constitution, all minerals were vested in government and therefore no chief had the right to give land concession to people for mining without the requisite operational license.

Mr Ohene-Kena said this at a meeting with chiefs from the Akyem areas, stakeholders in mining and the Eastern Regional Security Council (REGSEC).

The meeting was to find ways of combating the activities of illegal miners with their resultant pollution of water bodies and degrading of lands, especially around Kyebi. He said from all indications illegal mining activities had "assumed the rate of vandalism" because some prominent people were behind thsse operations. "That must be stopped because government would not allow natural resources that belong to the state to benefit a few influential persons in the society."

Mr Ohene-Kena expressed worry that people who knew better and understood what illegality was had been the 93pillars" behind the operations of illegal mining.

He reiterated government's commitment in creating job opportunities for the youth and urged those who wanted to go into mining to follow the laid down rules. Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the Eastern Regional Minister, said illegal mining had reached a stage where all meaningful force had to be used to check it and urged chiefs, custodians of the land, to lead in that crusade.

He appealed to the Minerals Commission, which issues operational licenses to mining companies, to sanction those of them who after acquiring the license turn to lease the concession out for illegal mining to serve as a deterrent to others.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said due to the devastating effects of illegal mining activities, the REGSEC had decided that no district assembly should issue any mining permit until such time that the safety of the people could be guaranteed.

He said the joint military/police operations in arresting and seizing machinery being used by the illegal miners was increasingly becoming expensive and fruitless since the galamsey operators had found ways of outwitting the security team. He said at one operation they counted about 56 excavators and this showed that the illegal miners had the backing of land owners who are the chiefs.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo appealed to chiefs to desist from that act since the law would deal ruthlessly with them when caught. He said due to pollution of sources of drinking water, the Ghana Water Company was being compelled to spend three times the cost for treating water.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said apart from the wanton destruction of water bodies, the open pits that were left behind after galamsey activities had claimed three lives.

Mr Babal Jamal, the Deputy Regional Minister, said it was a mystery that chiefs who were custodians of the lands could deny any knowledge as to how the lands were acquired for the illegal mining activities.

He therefore suggested that as part of the measures in addressing the situation, owners of land where such activities take place should be arrested to serve as a deterrent.