The Ghana Mines Workers Union at the Owere Mines branch has accused some directors of the Konongo Mines in the Asante Akyem Central Municipality of ceding some parts of the company’s mining concession to illegal miners.
In a letter written petition to the Minister for Lands, Minerals and Natural Resources sighted by Citi News, the Union alleged that the some of the directors were also conniving with some military personnel in the area.
[contextly_sidebar id=”ThVVyVNt59ZaVWe3ovHOtBsopFBNW49k”]Whilst bemoaning some salary concerns of the workers at the mine, the letter noted that, “the concession which was acquired for large-scale mining in 2004 has been diverted into a galamsey site and as I write this petition, about half of the concession has been released to illegal miners by the directors of the company.”
The letter cites Eric William Siaw and Fred Okine as the directors allegedly dishing out part of the concession to illegal miners, adding that they have been doing this since November 2016 “with the help of military men on site who are protecting these illegal miners.”
The petition also alerted that the activities of illegal miners are depleting natural resources and polluting the Owere River which serves as a source of drinking water for some of the communities and the main source of drinking water some communities.
Aside from this, the pollution is also affecting the water supply to the multi-million dollar water dam project at Anuruso in the same municipality.
“The vegetation cover in the concession has not been spared by the activities of these illegal miners as a result of indiscriminately felling of trees to do their galamsey activities,” the union added.
Thus, it is appealing to the Minister for Lands, Minerals and Natural resources and other state institutions “to stop these illegal mining activities being perpetuated by the directors of the company and also to ensure that they pay our salaries in arrears entitlements due us in full.”
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana