Georgetown : Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc., (BGGI) and the Hururu village council, Region 10 signed a new lease agreement and a Memorandum of Amendment to the existing mining agreement between the village and the company.
The village council will receive $1.1M per month from the company which will be used to further develop the community as a result of it leasing more land to the company. The Hururu Village Council had in 2005 leased its land to RUSAL, paying $1.3M monthly.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai and Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, Hururu’s Toshao Winsbert Benjamin, and BCGI’s Managing Director Serge Kostyuk were among the signatories to the agreement. Russian Ambassador to Guyana Nikolay Smirnov was also present.
BCGI will construct a new mine and its infrastructural facilities at Kurubuka-22 that would create jobs for more than 1,000 workers and subcontractors in Region 10.
Minister Sukhai urged the village council, as they have done in the previous agreement, to let responsibility be their guide. She said there are other conditions and support which BCGI will have to meet within a specific time frame.
Speaking at the signing ceremony which was held at the Amerindian Affairs Ministry Boardroom, she said the village has been receiving corporate support from the company over the years.
Minister Sukhai recognised that the agreement comes after many challenges between the village and BCGI which her ministry has been trying to iron out.
The new mine at Kurubuka has seen over US$20M in investment and Minister Persaud said that a substantial amount of that sum has already been invested. The mine will be in full operation by the last quarter of 2014.
“This agreement that is being signed here reflects adherence in terms of ensuring the various objectives are addressed and met and the parties feel comfortable and enable to pursue the various activities.”
The activity he said, demonstrates that investment, development and utilisation of the natural resources sector can co-exist in harmony, and also reflects government’s commitment to ensure it pursues development, without the expense and interest of any community and the preservation of the environment.
Meanwhile, Toshao Benjamin said he hopes the relationship between the parties will continue, to further develop the community. He also received a financial donation from BCGI to support cultural activities and events during Amerindian Heritage Month celebration.
“For the past years we have done a lot of good works from the money we received at Hururu; we have the secondary school and primary school from that.”
Additionally, the community will receive $1.1M monthly for the rehabilitation of the roads.
Kostyuk said that BCGI will continue to support the development of the community.
The agreement was concluded in full conformity with the Amerindian Act and reflects a willingness of the parties to strengthen the relations and mutual cooperation existing since 2005.
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