The Eastern Regional Minister, Ms Helen Ntoso, has appealed to the Eastern Regional Land Commission to help check the allocation of large tracts of land in the Region to small scale miners.

She said it was unacceptable for large tracts of land to be allocated to as many as 100 small scale miners in the region who pollute the sources of drinking water, leave the mined areas without reclamation and exposing the people to danger while they had boreholes at their mining sites.

Ms Ntoso was speaking at the swearing-in of a 33- member new Eastern Regional Lands Commission at Koforidua at the weekend under the chairmanship of Osabarima Adusei Peasah, Tafohene.

She appealed to members to come out with land management policies that would ensure effective land management.

Ms Ntoso said when the fodder banks being constructed at the Afram Plains are completed cattle at the Afram Plains would be required to be at the fodder banks and every cow would be tagged so that when any of them strayed to farms they could easily be identified.

She called for the establishment of a legal process that would enable farmers whose farms are destroyed by stray cows to get the case quickly resolved for the crop farmers to get their compensation to restart their farms.

Ms Ntoso called on the new Commission to help solve the frequent encroachment on public lands in the Region.

Ms Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, urged the Commission to help identify land banks for public acquisition to be made available to investors.

She appealed to the members of the Commission to work closely with the traditional authorities to help find lasting solution to the menace of Fulani herdsmen in the Region.

Ms Asamoah appealed to traditional authorities in the region to be cautious of land speculators who are acquiring large tracts of land across the country.

She said if care was not taken traditional would have to acquire land from speculators for projects because they might have sold all their lands to them.

Ms Asamoah said it would be more beneficial to acquire shares in business instead of outright sales of the land.

Osabarima Adusei Peasah on behalf of members of the Commission assured that, they would work diligently to fulfill the mandate given to them.