The Environmental Protection Agency has directed Romex Mining Company Limited in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region to halt operations till further notice.
This is because, the company has failed to adhere to conditions set out in the agency’s permit.
Authorities of EPA expressed concern about the effect of the company's activities on the Ayensu stream which serves as a source of water for many communities in the Ashanti and Central regions.
The Deputy Director with the Mining Department of the EPA, Michael Sandow Ali, explained that the company is being shut down because it failed to carry out best practices that will help to reclaim the land after use.
He said Romex Mining Company was given a permit to mine the Mempeasem concession in October last year and in less than a year there have been two transfers without any notification to the agency.
More than six months into it's operations, the company has failed to post a reclamation bond.
Mr. Ali said the company presently mining the concession, FCMI Accra, a Canadian financial institution, is unknown to the agency because monthly returns are still made under the name Romex Mining Company.
He, has therefore, called on FCMI to immediately provide an action plan to salvage the situation.
The Ashanti and Central Region offices of the EPA will do ground monitoring on the Company to ensure enforcement.
Mr. Ali was briefing newsmen after EPA's initial compliance monitoring to the processing plant of the company.
Operations Manager of FCMI, Mahamoudu Salif,said the company's open pit mining is due to the lack of equipment and funds. He agreed that the practice is a violation of EPA's Act.
For his part, the Chief Financial Operations Officer, B.A. Plahar, explained that FCMI is in operation to recover its money.
The Company gave capital funding to Aburi Goldfields, the second Company that mined the field after Romex, but due to the inability of Aburi Goldfields to manage the project well, FCMI took over operations.
Source: GBC
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