Govt clamps down on illegal quarries

Published: 2 Feb 2010
Camille Clarke

With several major projects in the pipeline, the country is preparing for another boom in the construction sector, says Leroy Mayers, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy.

He said the incentive for profit from the increased demand for building materials has encouraged illegal quarrying, and the ministry as well as the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), will be clamping down on illegal operators, as the environmental impact of their operations was too high. Mayers was speaking at a workshop entitled, Quarry Rehabilitation with Special Emphasis on Agriculture, organised by the University of T&T and the Ministry of Energy and held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port-of-Spain. Mayers said illegal quarrying was fuelled by the increasing demand for construction aggregate, which moved from seven million cubic yards in 2004 to 20 million cubic yards in 2008, settling at 15 million cubic yards in 2009 due to the slowdown in the economy.

The government is processing outstanding quarry licences and there are upcoming projects by the Ministry of Works and Transport, the private sector and other agencies which will increase demand for materials, Mayers said. He said the ministry is in the process of regularising 61 quarries in order to issue five-year licenses. Mayers noted that 94 quarries were known to be operating in T&T and the government is processing outstanding quarry licences to deal upcoming projects by the Ministry of Works and Transport. “Because of the remoteness of many of the sites, illegal quarrying will continue,” Joth Singh, managing director and chief executive director of the Environmental Management Authority. Singh noted the environmental impact of quarrying, and the need for rehabilitation of sites after quarry operators were gone.

He said more than 50 people were before the courts on quarrying offences. Mayers said based on the Quarry Policy White Paper, new proposals to update the legislation will soon be made.

License Application
• Submission of application to MEEI—corporate documents including company and personal profiles
• Submission of financial documentation to MEEI
• Evaluation process
• Decision to grant or reject
• Pre-licence process starts
• Preparation of notification letter by Ministry of Energy
• Licence process completed

Source: http://guardian.co.tt/business/business/2010/02/02/govt-clamps-down-illegal-quarries