Members of the Council of State will today embark on a working visit to some mining sites in the Eastern region to assess the destruction of lands and water bodies as a result of illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.
The advisory body wants to obtain firsthand information in order to better counsel the President on the menace.
The campaign against galamsey got a massive boost three weeks ago when the government issued a moratorium to all illegal miners to halt their operation or face the wrath of the security agencies. Over 500 excavators have been moved from the illegal sites since the campaign began.
The campaign, spearheaded by a coalition of media houses is putting pressure on the government to act to stop the illegal activity once and for all.
The coalition has decided to go hard on people in high positions including politicians, chiefs and security people who condoned the illegal act.
The campaign this week received a major boost with the development of a project implementation manual.
The manual spells out the actions to be undertaken to deal with the challenge and transform illegal mining activities into vibrant medium-scale businesses in the long run.
Developed by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the manual has timelines, actions and costs and supports the Multilateral Mining Integrated Project (MMIP).
It focuses on law enforcement, the deployment of technology, the involvement of communities, among other actions, in dealing with galamsey.
Source:Starrfmonline.com