Rambharat tells Mark: No quarrying at Aripo

AGRICULTURE Minister Clarence Rambharat denied that any quarrying would take place at the site of the Marilissa Farms Ltd at Aripo, in reply to a private motion by Opposition Senator Wade Mark in the Senate on Tuesday.

Mark’s motion had urged the protection of the rich aggregate on the 1,000 acre site and urged the Government to table the lease agreement for those lands.

In moving the motion, Mark said the site was a livestock farm but asked what would become of the limestone to which the lease allows access.

“This lease gives access to hundreds of acres of limestone.”

Rambharat, in reply, said there was no risk of Marilissa Farms engaging in quarrying, saying any such activity could only be done with formal approvals issued by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries. He also said much of Aripo was forest reserve and that the Marilissa lease preserved the bird-watching activities at Aripo.