Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said the St. Vincent and the Grenadines government has not granted any permission to Aecon to dredge for sand south of Argyle Airport.
Last Thursday, Tam Smith, Aecon Group’s senior project manager, told fishermen at a consultation in Calliaqua that the Physical Planning Division had approved a dredging permit for Aecon to take 1.17 million cubic meters of sand from an area 820 yards south of and 550 yards from the Argyle International Airport.
Gonsalves said on Sunday that the planning division is distinct from the cabinet of the government of SVG and that final decision-making rests with the government.
“The government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has not, and I emphasize, not agreed for the dredging to proceed.” “It is a planning permission with conditions, but given the nature of this project and the resource, which belongs to the state, you must come to an agreement with the executive, and there has been no decision on that, and anybody who says there has been a decision is wrong.”
“As of today, Sunday, February 5, the prime minister of this country is not persuaded as of this moment that the permission should be granted.” “I want to give everyone a fair hearing, and that includes the fishermen,” Gonsalves said.
Fishermen say dredging by Aecon will destroy marine life, livelihoods
