By Mamour M Mbenga
Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) Technical Adviser to the Mayor has denied involvement in illegal gravel mining at the Bakoteh dump site.
Kan -Mustapha Kanjura Kanyi described the alleged allegation levied against him as baseless saying that those behind it are looking for cheap popularity and they are so-called politicians.
The residents of Bakoteh accused Kanyi who is also overseer of Compliance Unit KMC of involvement in illegal gravel mining at the Bakoteh dump site.
Modou Lamin Kinteh a resident of Bakoteh-Manjai disclosed that he witnesses Kanyi assigned team of men dig and loading gravels within the month of January.
According to him, one day he was sitting with friends during weekends and then saw a blue and a white truck that was loaded with gravels and decided to monitor it and it went on for almost two week.
He further revealed that three people were assigned to do the digging and loading, noting that he others member of community confronted the men in order to stop the operation.
We approached and asked them reason for digging and loading the gravels but refused to answer’.
‘’We have to use force in order to know the reason and who assigned them but they later called Mr. Kanyi who told on the phone he assign them,” Kinteh explained.
Kinteh said that Kanyi could not tell them concrete reason of taking those gravels away from the dump site.
He pointed out that Kanyi who claims to be a Director at the KMC came to the dump site to negotiate with the angry residents but was not giving the chance to continue digging and loading gravels.
Another eye witness Ansumana Beyai also stated that Mr. Kanyi told them that he was the Director of the Dump site and has giving the directive to the men to dig and load those gravels.
Beyai pointed out that Kanyi further explains to them that he was using the gravels for the purpose and KMC Councilor’s and the MP requested it for certain works to take place.
Sainey Beyai another eye witness also explain similar story, claiming that Kanyi use those gravels for his personal interest not for the interest of the council.
For his part, Kan -Mustapha Kanjura Kanyi Technical Adviser to the Mayor and Overseer, Compliance Unit KMC, said the allegation were all lies with he agrees taking the responsibilities of digging and loading the said gravels.
He said the gravels were used to create access roads within the dump site in order to get easy access to enter in the dump site.
“I was not involve in any illegal mining, the gravels were not sole neither to be used for any building construction works and those gravels were filthy and has a mixture of rubbish and plastics which cannot be used for any work,’’ he said.
He added: “I am in charge of the dumpsite and have all right to take care of the environment in order to avoid any hindrance or fire outbreak.’’
He noted that it will cost the council a huge amount of money in order to create access roads within the dump site.
He also said, he borrowed a truck free of charge from the National Disaster Agency (NDA) to do the work.
He described those claiming to be eyewitnesses as looking for cheap popularity and they are mostly so-called politicians.
He pointed out that those residents did not have the power to stop him digging the gravels, noting that he spend most of his time in health risk environment and he was sure that the place is protected from fire outbreak.
He added that the residents approached him and he decided to stop the activities and not because of what they said make him to stop.
Lamin K Jammeh, Councillor for Bakoteh Ward noted he also heard the rumors from people talking about that Mr. Kanyi’s was mining gravels on the site
“I heard that Kanyi is involved in digging and loading gravels from the dump site, I approached him to enquired but I was told by him that he is using them to create access roads within the dump site,’’ he said.
He added that he is working very closely with the KMC authorities in order to protect that environment from such activities and other mismanagement.
