GSMB Chairman denies COPE revelation

• GSMB Chairman says he was not given adequate time to speak at COPE

By Sheain Fernandopulle  

Responding to the allegation levelled against the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) during the recent Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) meeting that GSMB seeks minister’s approval for issuance of licenses, GSMB Chairman R. Sanjeepan clarified that applications related to mining and exploration activities are never sent to the Minister for his approval.  

Convening a special news briefing yesterday (08), the Chairman said “The applications are received by the respective regional offices where they process the relevant applications until they get a valid clearance.  

Once they get the clearance, the applications are put into an excel spreadsheet with all relevant details and are received by an officer at the head office where he puts all the details into one excel spreadsheet. Subsequently, the Director General and I are getting the full excel spreadsheet via an email before issuance of a license, which is copied to the Minister as well,” he explained.  

“We are not sending applications to the Minister nor does he give approval. It is the Director General who has the authority to grant the approval before licenses are issued,” he stressed.  
Moreover, the GSMB Chairman said he had not been given adequate time to clarify this at the COPE meeting.  

Meanwhile, responding to the allegations that there was a substantial delay in issuing a license, the Chairman said that the delay is not due to their failures but the delays caused at other institutions from which various documents are needed to obtain before a license is issued.   

The GSMB recently came under fire at the COPE meeting when they were questioned on several matters pertaining to mining activities.

• Licenses are never sent to the Minister