Galamsey: Operation Halt 2 destroys 28 excavators, 267 chan fans seized in River Pra
- There have been calls that illegal miners must be punished by firing squad
- The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation stated that the government will do what it pleases with seized galamsey equipment
- Some excavators have already been destroyed
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Some 28 excavators and 267 chan fans seized from illegal small-scale miners in the River Pra in the Eastern Region have been destroyed by the Operation Halt II team, YEN.com.gh has gathered.
Source: Facebook
The team also destroyed 18 water pumping machines, 2 industrial machines, 18 generator sets, 10 plastic chairs, 5 canoes, 1 wooden accommodation, 8 industrial batteries, 1 platform, and 21 new pumping machines, Classfmonline reported.
Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, said a total of 476 chan fans were destroyed in the past week.
The minister disclosed this on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, when he addressed the media about the operation.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) commenced the second phase of Operation Halt II on May 7, 2021.
Operation Halt II aims at removing all persons and logistics involved in mining on water bodies.
“…the new phase of the operation focuses on the tributaries of the Pra river which have also been significantly affected by the activities of illegal miners,” the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, stated in a statement dated May 7, 2021.
In other news, Ningo Prampram lawmaker, Samuel George, said persons engaged in illegal mining otherwise known as ‘galamsey’ must be instantly executed via the firing squad.
"If the person is NDC, if the person is a national executive of the NDC, arrest him and jail him. I believe that for the first time we should actually have the firing squad brought back,” Sam George stated during a Joy News panel discussion on Thursday, April 6, 2021.
In the meantime, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) stated that the government will do what it pleases with seized galamsey equipment.
Dr. Kwaku Afriyie said as earlier reported by YEN.com.gh that the government will continue to burn excavators being used for illegal mining when soldiers seize them.
He said those who do not agree with them burning the machines should feel free to drag them to court.
According to him, burning the machines is the best alternative to fighting illegal mining rather than seizing and keeping them.
President Akufo-Addo gave an order for the deployment of soldiers to mining areas to clamp down on activities by illegal miners.
The soldiers, numbering 200 were poled together to undertake this operation which started on Wednesday morning, April 28, 2021, at 6 am.
The deployed soldiers were expected to remove all those engaging in the illegal act and also destroy the logistics involved in mining from Ghana’s water bodies.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
