Latest update March 24th, 2025 7:05 AM
GGMC addresses miners’ legal threat
Kaieteur News – Responding to recent publications regarding the discontent of two Guyanese small-scale miners, Milton Brandford and Ayudhia Narain, who expressed intentions to initiate legal action against the Government of Guyana (GoG) due to the confiscation of their mining claims, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) said it has not issued claim licences to the miners.
The miners had invested significantly in their mining operations, and they claim to have received verification from the GGMC. However, they were dismayed when the GGMC seized their mining operations. Their legal representative, Siand Dhurjon, subsequently penned a letter to Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, and the GGMC, urging the processing of their 32 claim licenses.
In response, the GGMC emphasized that a clear and transparent process exists for the application and granting of mining claims. The commission stated, “GGMC remains the sole entity responsible for the verification and issuance of claim licences. The verification and issuance process includes field verification, intensive internal desk reviews and research, and secondary reviews by senior officers of the Commission, prior to making a final determination on an application for a claim licence.”
The GGMC further clarified that the mere application and verification process do not guarantee the issuance of a licence. It is only when a licence is granted that the process is considered complete. In this case, the GGMC pointed out that Brandford and Narain had not been issued claim licences.
The GGMC highlighted the issuance of a Reservation Order under section 10 of the Mining Act, 1989, in March 2022, which was aimed at curbing illegal activities at the Troy Resources mining site. The Reservation Order placed the area under the control of the GoG, due to substantial debts owed by Troy Resources Guyana Inc.
The government justified its actions as necessary for safeguarding the site’s integrity. Additionally, the GGMC clarified that once properties had been sold to TRGI, those claims were relinquished and no longer available for application.
According to reports, in a letter dated October 12, the local miners asserted their rightful possession of the 32 claims, citing their investments in prospecting and related work. They claimed to have initiated the application process in June 2023, with successful verifications from the GGMC.
Despite this, the GGMC had not issued their claim licences, and an order to remove them from the claim area was issued in July 2023. The miners argued that, under the law, they had the right to work the ground on their claims until a decision was made regarding their licenses.
The miners contended that the GGMC’s view that the lands were issued to a third party was inaccurate, as gazetted extracts provided by the miners indicated that the lands were abandoned and open for allocation since 2016.
The miners and their lawyer had meetings with government officials, including Bharrat, in early August 2023. The Minister mentioned a government decision to allow only large-scale mining in the area, which the miners found dissatisfactory. A subsequent offer to settle the matter by offering them “any 5 of the 32 claims and 3 blocks in any closed area” was also met with dissatisfaction.
The miners later learned of an order published in the Official Gazette on August 8, 2023, which restricted their mining activities. They have demanded that their 32 claim licences be processed, the ministerial order be withdrawn, the GGMC’s removal order be rescinded, and no interference with their claim properties or mining rights take place within 10 days. If not, they are prepared to initiate administrative proceedings in the Supreme Court.
The local miners are steadfast in their pursuit of recognition for their legitimate claims and investments and are determined to challenge any actions they consider to be against their rights.
- Government of Guyana, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, t Brandford and Narain had not been issued claim licences
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