Ramdeo Persad appealed to the police, the Energy Ministry, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and the Water and Sewerage Authority to stop illegal operators from excavating tonnes of sand and gravel.
He was speaking at the association's annual Christmas dinner, which was attended by Energy Minister Conrad Enill.
Government has taken some action to deal with the problem, including amendments to the State Lands Act, which increased the maximum penalty for the offence from $2,000 to $250,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
Persad praised Sangre Grande police officers for their attempts to shut down illegal quarries in Eastern Trinidad. That operation was coordinated by the head of the Eastern Division, Senior Supt Margaret Sampson-Browne, who has promised to end the illegal activities by next year.
Read the story: Senior police officer vows to end illegal quarrying, go after bad cops
Enill, who delivered the featured address promised legislation "very shortly" to give law enforcement "more capability to deal with this challenge."
The minister said, "We propose to continue to support the industry by ensuring that policies are developed in consultation with the industry to deliver a better quality product and service."
He added, "Your business, like so many others, must deal with the many risks and challenges that exist, as a consequence of the growth and development of Trinidad and Tobago, driven by the goal of the Government to develop our infrastructure,” Enill said.
Local quarries employ about 20,000 workers people and invest about $3.5 billion.
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