Minister to sanction district mine inspector

GNA – Mr Yaw Amponsah, the Upper West Akyem Mine Inspector, has incurred the anger of Mr John Peter Amewu, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, for being drunk on duty.

The Minister asked the mine inspector, who was visibly drunk during the tour of some mining sites in the Eastern Region, to report to the Ministry in Accra.

“How can such a person be responsible for monitoring? If you put people like this to work, there is no way you can expect any accuracy in terms of monitoring”.

“One person cannot be responsible for this huge area,” the Minister fumed.

Mr Amewu gave the directive when he led a team to tour some mining sites in the Upper West Akyem Municipality, Atiwa East and Denkyemboar districts in the Eastern Region on Wednesday.

Mines inspectors are responsible for monitoring the activities of players in the mining industry and report to the Mining Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission for the necessary action.

The tour followed a three-week ultimatum the Minister gave to illegal miners to evacuate their machines and leave all mining sites. The ultimatum expired on Tuesday, April 18.

The team, comprising officials of the Minerals Commission as well as some police personnel, visited communities including Akenten, Pianaman, Moseaso and Kubriso.

The minister expressed concern about monitoring of mining sites across the country and blamed the Inspection Division for lack of effective supervision.

Mr Amewu said the Government would increase the number of mining inspectors and equip them with motorbikes to ensure effective supervision.

Some illegal miners who were working on some concessions left the site upon seeing the team.

There were excavators abandoned at the mining sites while others were parked in front of houses.

GNA