The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has directed all owners, operators and users of excavators in the country to register their excavators with the Metropolitan, Municipal or District Assembly (MMDA) with jurisdiction over the area where the excavator is located.
They have seven days of this notice, starting today Monday, October 24, excluding weekends and statutory holidays, to register the equipment, he said.
The Damongo lawmaker warned that the deadline for the registration of all excavators in the country is by close of business on Wednesday, 2nd November 2022.
The directive forms part of the fight against illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey) being pursued by the government.
“An owner, operator and/or user of an excavator shall, at the time of registration, specify the purpose for which the excavator is being used or to be used and the area where the excavator is being used or will be used, as the case may be,” he said.
Any excavator not registered in accordance with this directive, whether found at a mining site or any other operational site or elsewhere, shall be seized and the necessary legal steps taken to confiscate same to the State, Mr Jinapor warned.