Powerful mining company busted for Galamsey by Minerals Commission
- Mining firm, Xtra-Gold, has been blacklisted upon practicing illegal mining
- Investigation by the Minerals Commission shows shady deals by the company
- Government has continued the fight against galamsey along river bodies
The fight against illegal mining has uncovered dealings of a mining firm – Xtra-Gold – into activities of criminality.
A probe into dealings of Xtra-Gold at Atiwa in the Eastern Region shows it forcefully acquired land from chiefs and later use them for galamsey. It further shows that the company illegally recruits staff for this purpose.
It follows the begging of chides of Apampatia in the Eastern Region to the minister in charge of lands and natural resources to relocate the concessions from Xtra-Gold to them so they can use it for other profitable purposes like responsible mining and agriculture.
Meanwhile, officials of Xtra-Gold have declined comment on the report and other issues raised by the investigative team.
In a related story
A Chinese man, believed to be a member of a gold mining syndicate in Ghana, has been busted by the military taskforce against illegal small scale mining along water bodies.
This came to light in a video chanced upon by YEN.com.gh in which a military operative of the taskforce queries the Chinese man on the moral basis for polluting river bodies all in the thirst for gold.
“Do you see what you have done to our river, can you drink this?” he quizzed the Chinese who looked disoriented and ashamed.
The video, captured on the Twitter Page of JoyNews Journalist, Charles Ayitey, shows the military quizzing the Chinese illegal miner.
A swoop of their operations show the syndicate operating deep in the forest – all in hiding. They have managed to lay huge pipes to the river bodies. One plant pulls up the river water to wash gold while the other discharges the waste water with chemicals into the river bodies.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
