The Ministry for Lands and Mineral Resources has confirmed that there are 24 applications pending for licenses to extract gravel.
This was highlighted by the Minister for Lands Faiyaz Koya.
Koya says that the stringent requirements are due to the necessity of the sustainable development of natural resources.
He says that the inter-ministerial process involves the Ministry of Environment for the Environmental Impact Approval and iTaukei Affairs Board verification of consent to waive traditional fishing rights process must also be undertaken.
Koya says there is a time frame of 15 days stipulated within the Standard Operating Procedures of the Ministry of Lands, where time frames from respective agencies fall outside the 15 working days.
He says the Environmental Impact Assessment takes approximately three months whereas iTaukei Affairs Board verification falls within a time frame of 10 working days.
