BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
THERE is a logging company operating at Ngella for the past five months that has already had their Felling Licence deregistered since December 2017.
According to the Ministry of Forestry and Research letter by the Commissioner of Forests sighted on notice to cancel felling license A10319 to Tropical Resources Development Company Limited, they have received advice from the Office of the Registrar of Companies that the company has been deregistered on December 1, 2017 due to failure to file annual return.
“Your failure to re-register as legal entity which has now caused to exist means that you are no longer entitled to be granted a felling licence nor can any licence be held in your name and/or your company entered into any agreement with any company.”
“As such, pursuant to Section 39 of the Forest Resources and Timber Utilization Act, we hereby serve you with this fourteen days notice to make representation to the Office of the Commissioner of Forests as to why your felling licensee A10319 should not be cancelled,” stated in the letter on May 22.
According to Central Islands Province (CIP) Provincial Secretary (PS), Christian Siale, in an interview, finding out of the company’s deregistration is one amongst other grounds that the province has put to the Commissioner of Forest through confirmation of certificates.
“That is amongst other grounds being the reason why the province has put this report,” said the PS.
He confirmed that the Forestry, Ministries (including the environment ministry) and Attorney General (AG) are aware of this situation as there has not been any renewal of their license.
It is said that when it comes to the Forestry license, the Forestry might have not done background research on companies applying for licensee resulting in not picking this up, however, CIP’s provincial government picked this up and made it known to them about the situation.
Tropical Resources Development Company Limited was registered before December 2017 when it was deregistered.
Logging activities now having negative impact on the environment of Ngella has led to the Constituency’s citizens being fed up in which a petition to ban logging there had already been launched over the weekend at Tulaghi seeing CIP’s Premier Hon Patrick Vasuni and the PS receiving it.
It is understood that the petition presented to the provincial government will be part of CIP’s State of the Forests Report 2017-2018 to the Ministry of Forestry.
