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Occupy Ghana has reiterated its demand that anybody found guilty of mining within of protected areas be prosecuted.
The civil society organization stressed that prosecuting perpetrators will help conserve the environment, especially in sensitive places, and act as a powerful deterrence to others.
Galamsey, or illegal mining, has been increasingly well-known in recent months due to the practice’s growth. The Ghana Medical Association is among the unions and groups that have supported the call for action, demanding a three-month suspension of all mining operations in order to stop the continued devastation of the environment.
Occupy Ghana demanded in a statement released on Tuesday, September 10, that the government act swiftly and bring charges against anybody found to be involved in illicit mining.
“Take Immediate Action Against Galamsey Offenders! We call for urgent legal action against persons and companies accused of illegal mining, especially in protected areas. Government inaction, especially concerning politically connected entities, has fostered impunity and undermined public trust. This must be addressed forthwith.”
“Confiscate all Galamsey Lands! We propose an amendment to the law to criminalise landowners making lands available for Galamsey. Unless a landowner can prove that their land was forcibly taken over (by having made a contemporaneous report to the police) they should be taken to have abetted the offence by facilitating it.
“These lands should therefore be confiscated as ‘tainted property’ and then repurposed for public benefit, including reforestation, farming or even regulated mining.
Similar requests for the implementation of mining regulations to safeguard Ghana’s waterbodies have also lately been made by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Water Resources Commission.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
