A deputy chief executive officer of the Forestry Commission in charge of operations has sounded a strong word of caution to recalcitrant illegal miners who have vowed to mine illegally to destroy the country’s forest reserves to desist since her outfit will not spare them when they are caught.
Hon. Martha Kwayie Manu made these remarks when she led a task force team from the Ashanti regional forestry and the Bekwai district forestry services commission together with armed police personnel to the Apaprama forest reserve at Kobro, Hiayeya, and Numereso Forrest reserves where the task force team set ablaze excavators being used for illegal mining ( Galamsey ) activities in the forest reserves.
The task force team also arrested 4 Chinese nationals who were busily operating illegally within the forest reserves without fear.
The Chinese were handed over to the Bekwai Police Command and were sent to the Bekwai District Court who were later deported.
According to Hon. Martha Kwayie Manu, the NPP-led Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo want mining to be done in a more responsible manner hence the initiation of the Community Mining Scheme that has come to stay to do away with the Galamsey activities which over the years has caused total destruction to the country’s forest reserves and the entire environment.
She hinted that the Chief executive officer of the Forestry Commission, herself and her other colleague deputies at the forestry commission will collaborate and work assiduously to preserve the country’s forest reserves.
Hon. Martha Manu also took the opportunity to advise the media to collaborate with her to help expose and flush out illegal miners who connive with unscrupulous persons to use the names of people in authority to give room to illegal miners to operate.
The hardworking deputy CEO of the Forestry Commission in charge of operations also appealed to residents within the forest enclaves to volunteer information on illegal mining ( Galamsey ) activities within forest reserves to the security agencies to act on to support the government to protect the country’s natural resources.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Evans Boateng
