Latest update January 7th, 2025 4:03 AM
Moblissa meeting seeks to address illegal mining on residents property
By End Joaquin
Rahim, in white garment, showing officials part of his property that is being illegally mined
Chairman of Region Ten, Rennis Morian, yesterday promised residents of Moblissa to look into several issues affecting them. These issues include the illegal and indiscriminate mining of loam, obtaining leases for land, and the issue of a deteriorating access road and main bridge that’s collapsing.
The Chairman was at the time addressing a meeting of several officials including Chairman of Region Four Genevieve Allen, National Director of CDC’s Eugene Gilbert, Assistant Director Donald Ainsworth, Chairman of the Local Government Commission and residents.
Moblissa is a community on the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway. It sits on the periphery of both Region Ten and Region Four, hence the collaboration of officials from both sides to look into the community’s welfare.
Topping the list of concerns was the mining of loam. A businessman from Region Four, has been indiscriminately mining the material and trespassing on a resident’s property.
The meeting was called to deal with the major issue which concerns the carting away of loam, by the businessman, who is also trespassing on land that was leased to Abdool Rahim of the Guyana Islamic Trust.
According to Rahim, the person started to mine loam in Moblissa last August, but then later started to do so on land that was leased to him by the Guyana Lands and Survey, almost 15 years ago.
We have legitimate papers from since 2004 while they would have secured their mining lease some time in 2015.
Rahim said that when he contacted Lands and Surveys, the Department initially said that it had no knowledge of Rahim’s lease, but later said that it could not do anything because the people have a mining permit. He added that he was however eventually successful in securing an injunction against them and those operations were halted.
But now Hamid is battling against another business man who is now mining on his property, and removing loam.
Hamid said that he estimates that on a daily basis between 40 and 50 loads of loam are removed. The businessman has encroached about 300 feet on his land.
He said that he is seeking to file another injunction against the businessman who he said is operating illegally.
However, he noted that the businessman claims that he too has acquired a lease for the said land from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission.
Property that is being mined illegally at Moblissa.The officials committed to having this and several other issues resolved as early as possible with the Regional Chairman advocating legal proceedings against the businessman for trespassing.
National Director of CDC’s Eugene Gilbert in alluding to a prior meeting in Linden between Representatives from Moblissa and Region Four Administration and other key stakeholders said that he was very impressed with the level of representation, which subsequently led to yesterday’s meeting.
Gilbert said that he found it unbelievable that the land presently being mined at Moblissa was leased for the sum of US$1 per acre.
Morian has meanwhile said that thousands of tonnes of loam have been removed from the area and that the community is not benefitting from this.
“This land is designated for Agriculture but meanwhile GGMC has issued a contract for somebody to use this place for mining.” Morian said that he had only learnt of that fact yesterday.
He promised to write the Lands and Surveys Commission for its intervention in the land issue.
“I’m hoping that they could come in and have a talk with you and hope that this land business could probably happen when Minister Simona Broomes is here.”
Minister Broomes was slated to attend yesterday’s meeting but was preoccupied with other Government business.
With regard to the issue of land leasing and rehabilitation of the road, Morian said that every effort would be made to address these as early as possible and in the case of road works to ensure that residents are hired to execute same.
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