Permission has been given for the export of 42 containers of scrap metal that was already prepared for shipment when the trade was banned in June last.This was revealed by Governance Minister Raphael Trotman during a post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday at the Ministry of the Presidency.
“It may be recalled that on June, 15, 2015, the Ministry of Housing suspended the scrap metal trade and halted the operations of the Scrap Metal Unit within that Ministry to facilitate a forensic audit. At the time of suspension 42 containers of scrap metal were on the wharves to be exported and these containers are still there. Cabinet has therefore given after careful consideration the approval for 42 containers for shipment out of Guyana,” he explained.
However, the Governance Minister said the shipment is a one-off transaction and in no way signals a resumption of the scrap metal trade. The implications of the resumption of the trade will be examined by a special team to be set up by Cabinet.
The trade was ban following the theft of manhole covers in the streets of Georgetown.