Latest update April 18th, 2025 8:12 AM
BK challenges decision by GGMC to grant another company quarry licences for areas it already applied for
Brian Tiwari of BK Quarries.
Kaieteur News – BK Quarries Inc. is challenging a decision by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) over what appears to be a decision to grant four quarry licences to Hadi’s World Inc. of Lot 29 Lombard Street, Georgetown. Hadi’s World Inc. is owned by local businessman, Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed.
According to documents seen by this newspaper, the notices of intention to grant these four applications, which were published by the GGMC in the Official Gazette in favour of Hadi’s World Inc. describes an area which overlaps the 2018 application made by BK Quarries Inc.
Further, a statement issued by Public Relations Officer (PRO), Adam Harris, explained that BK Quarries Inc. had applied for a quarry licence on August 16, 2018 for the area subject to prospecting licence.
“This quarry licence application was designated B-1000/000/18. Two years later, after letters dated May 21, 2019 and July 17, 2019, the Commissioner of GGMC wrote to BK Quarries Inc. advising that the application for B-1000-000-18 was being considered seriously at the level of the Board of Directors,” the PRO stated.
He went on to add that there were several commitments arising from the meeting, one such commitment from BK Quarries Inc. being that the company identifies 4,460 acres out of the total area 9,364 acres which was originally applied for.
He noted on January 9, 2020, BK Quarries Inc. agreed to meet with the GGMC and the technical sub-committee. The meeting took place on January 14, 2020 to discuss the application.
“There was another meeting on June 17, 2020 to follow up on the application B-1000/000/18. The following day, the company again submitted a map with the reduced acreage as discussed on 14 January, 2020. More letters were to follow. On July 2, 2020, GGMC requested from BK Quarries Inc. a detailed cartographic description of the reduced areas of interest. It said that it needed this information to continue processing the application,” Harris detailed in the statement.
The PRO noted that the request by GGMC was satisfied on August 6, 2020. However, he said nothing happened. BK Quarries Inc. sent another letter to GGMC on December 9, 2020.
In the new year, on January 11, GGMC sent a letter to BK Quarries Inc. contending that the application for the 9,364 acres exceeded the 4,500 acres approved by the GGMC for the favourable processing of application.
He said that this was also complied with by BK Quarries Inc., which submitted yet again a map and cartographic details for the adjusted acreage.
However, Harris noted that eight days later, BK Quarries Inc. received a letter from the GGMC stating that “all quarry licences extant and otherwise are to be reviewed by the Commission’s Board of Directors”.
GGMC, he said had also asked that patience be exercised by the quarrying company and that “should there be any additional requests pertaining to your application, you will be duly notified”.
But all this changed with the publication of the Official Gazette dated February 5, 2021 which stated that GGMC had intent to grant four quarry licences to Hadi’s World Inc. of 29 Lombard Street, Georgetown.
Upon checking the areas gazetted, Harris said it was revealed that some of the areas being granted to Hadi’s World Inc. overlay areas already applied for by BK Quarries Inc.
The PRO claimed that at the most recent meeting of the GGMC’s Board of Directors to deliberate on the four applications made by Hadi’s World Inc, the issue of the Gazette Publications dated February 5, 2021 was raised as the applications were yet to be approved by the Board. He also claimed that the notice of intention to grant as published in the official gazette was made without the applications being approved by the Board.
Describing the move by GGMC as unlawful, BK Quarries Inc. noted that it had legitimate expectations that its application of 2018 would have been favourably considered and has cooperated with the GGMC in every way to satisfy the requirements of the Commission.
As such, BK Quarries Inc. has, through its lawyers, voiced its objection to the granting of these four licences to Hadi’s World Inc. on locations already applied for by the company. The company is therefore asking GGMC to withdraw the Notice of Intention to grant the licences to Hadi’s World Inc. and complete the processing and issuance of its 2018 application.
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