Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman has said that sandpits on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway will be monitored, since operators have been functioning dangerously close to the roadway.
The Minister made this disclosure during the inaugural multi-stakeholder natural resources consultation, held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown. While admitting that much attention has not been given to the area, Trotman said, “If you drive along the (Linden) Highway, you would see that people are literally just scooping sand. Some of them are coming as near to the road and undermining the Highway.”
As a result of this safety breach, the point man on Natural Resources said that the Minister within the Natural Resources Ministry, Simona Broomes would be monitoring the situation through a new initiative.
“I am told that at a meeting held last Tuesday, there was some good movement in that direction,” he said.
He added that the Ministry has received many requests for the waiving of royalties from businesses that operate in the said area.

“Recently, I have had a flurry of requests for the waiver of royalties by companies that are providing sand and stone for Government projects…” he explained.
In addition to sand, Trotman said that loam too would be monitored under the same initiative. “Loam, that is the redder-looking material for roads, that too is something we are going to be monitoring a little bit more intensely,” he said.
Just recently there were orders to close the sandpits at Five Miles, Bartica following a “dangerous safety infraction” that was said to have occurred there during a visit by Minister Broomes.
Men were seen shovelling from a steep drop with unstable overburden which could have proven to be detrimental to those workers. Additionally, millions were reportedly owed in royalties to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC.
Bartica Mayor Gifford Marshall had related a number of challenges the town has since faced, owing to the closure of the sandpits.
Back in June, a sandpit in Yarrowkabra on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway was immediately ordered to cease work as it was found with quite a number of infractions.
The discovery was made by Minister Broomes, who was accompanied by a team of GGMC officials, during a visit to several sandpits.