Minister: New quarries will not be allowed
NO NEW quarries will be allowed in the TRNC, while existing ones will have to become “environmentally friendly”, Agriculture and Natural Resources Minister Erkut Şahali has declared.
He vowed to take action during a recent meeting with members of the Stone Quarries Union.
Mr Şahali said that out of a total of 56 stone quarries, 21 were currently “active”, while the rest were in a “passive” state. He said that of those in operation, 16 were being used to produce sand and gravel.
“We need to plan their contribution to the economy of the country,” Mr Şahali said.
“We need to ensure that they operate in a manner that adheres to the principle of sustainability.”
Mr Şahali said he had “taken steps to improve the stone quarries” during his previous term in office and that he would have meetings with quarry owners to “ensure that they become environmentally friendly” and to “check the quality of their products”.
Stone Quarries Union head Cenk Sarper said he was “very happy” with the government ban on new quarries and that his organisation was “prepared to work with the government to solve the problems of the stone quarries”.