Let’s
make some stone
THE
EDITOR: Today the Government appears to be implementing
crisis management in arguably the
oldest profession in the civilisation — the
Quarrying Industry. With its vision 2020 plan fully
in train one ingredient, the most important is
a “very critical aggregate supply situation” confronting
the government and the actions of “a domestic
cartel that seems to be controlling the price of
aggregate”.
Failed attempts by the Ministry of Energy occurred
in the past two years to hurriedly kick start the
industry when over 1200 acres of prime state lands
were awarded to non quarrying operators who possessed
neither plant, equipment, technology nor finance
and were issued licences under an unworkable Minerals
Act 2000.
Today, the industry is severely constrained by
the supply of high quality raw materials for construction
uses. It is estimated that the sand and gravel
industry has a useful life of 15 years for which
alternatives must be found.
Not
cognisant of the industry’s forward
planning realities that are similar to the natural
gas industry, a creative mythological solution
has been found. Government’s bringing in
the Medusa . . . “Stone for the boys . .
. Let’s make some stone fellas . . . ”
Then
too how is the TTCA under the control of Mikey
Joseph dealing with the runaway prices of
world steel? Is he proposing to now bring in a
hardwood company to deliver on the firm’s
structural erections rather than pay cartelised
arrangements based upon demand and supply?
We must all remember that world oil prices are
escalating and prices are being driven upwards
by Vision 2020 initiatives. Wow!
N PARRIS
Port-of-Spain
The
Trinidad & Tobago Newsday
Saturday, July 21 2007
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