LANDOWNERS must be empowered to hold their own quarry licences to ensure they reap the full benefits of resources extracted from their soil.
The call by Emosi Raurau, a participant at the recent public consultations on the Review of the Mining Act 1965 held in Sabeto, Nadi, was made as he told the review committee that the current system favoured contractors over the people who owned the land.
”Landowners should be given licences,” he said.
“Previously it was only the contractors that had the licenses — when they come and buy gravel, they try their hardest to secure a license.”
Mr Raurau said this arrangement prevented landowning units from achieving their development goals, as the power dynamic remains skewed toward the companies performing the extraction.
Responding to the concerns, technical mining advisor Dr Apete Soro noted that existing legislative frameworks could provide a solution to the impasse.
Mr Soro clarified that administrative authority remains centralised within specific government and land bodies.
”For everything else, the power rests with the Director of Lands and TLTB (iTaukei Lands and Trust Board).”
