Illegal quarries on the decline
Multimillion-dollar fine among the deterrents
FEWER PERSONS are now being arrested and charged with illegal quarrying in Jamaica, and Commissioner of Mines Roy Nicholson is convinced that this represents a reduction in the number of persons operating illegally.
According to Nicholson, over the past year, only three persons were taken before the courts for illegal quarrying, and the number would have been higher in previous years.
He said the sensitisation of stakeholders to the amendments of the Quarries Control Act is one of the reasons for this reduction.
“We are in collaboration more with the police, and Jamaicans are more sensitive as to what is happening out there, whether an activity is legal or how this activity is affecting them.
“For example, the limestone quarry, you are going to create a scar on the hillside, so what happens now is that these trucks might be passing your house on a regular basis, you normally could wash your clothes and they are on the line and are not disturbed, now they are being disturbed so you are going to have to find out what is this,” said Nicholson.
“If this is an illegal thing you will call the authority, which is us, and then we take it on,” added Nicholson.
LEGITIMATE OPERATORS
He noted that the legitimate quarry operators have to pay their taxes and might even need an environmental permit, which is going to cost them.
“It is going to cost them a lot, and their quarry is being inspected. And if they drop a piece of paper, they get a citation for it and then ‘Mr X’ (the illegal quarry operator) is there paying nothing. They are going to want to report it, and as soon as we learn about it, we do the inspection and we get the police to help us to eliminate that sort of practice,” said Nicholson.
With more than 200 licensed quarries across the country, Nicholson said since the start of the year they had to shut down two illegal sites in St Mary.
“The material was supposed to be used in the roadworks going on in the Broadgate to Hog Water Vale corridor. They were operating in the Iter Boreale area and we stopped one in Devon Pen, also in St Mary.
“What happened is that they would have received permission from the National Works Agency to apply for the licence, but either lack of knowledge or something, they decide that they would go and start the operation without applying for the quarry licence, so we had to stop it,” said Nicholson.
He said quarrying can be a very lucrative business, if it is properly structured and done in the correct way.
“If you are operating illegally and you are caught, your equipment will be seized, you might spend many days going to court and will have to employ a lawyer, and you are doing it illegal, so there’s no way you can prove that it is legal, so you will end up paying two to three million dollars for quarrying illegally,” said Nicholson.