Paya administration challenges PAREX over mining license compliance

The municipal administration of Paya, Boyacá, has announced it will petition the National Environmental Licensing Authority (ANLA) to verify compliance with the environmental license held by the company PAREX. The dispute centers on mining activities in the Viajual district, a territory currently subject to a jurisdictional disagreement between Paya and Nunchía, Casanare.

Mayor Juvenal Pérez Vega stated that while resolution 1585 of October 2015 grants the license for mining activities in Paya, Nunchía, and Yopal, PAREX has reportedly only conducted socialization and intervention processes with Nunchía. The Mayor argues that the company is ignoring Paya’s legal rights and its obligation to notify and involve local authorities and community leaders.

Following a meeting in Yopal on September 24 involving legal teams and regional geography officials, the Paya administration requested the suspension of civil works in the field until the municipality is formally incorporated into the project’s socialization processes, as required by the existing environmental license.