The hammers of some 10 workmen attached to the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) were in forceful use on Monday afternoon as demolition works of structures located behind prime properties in Bel Air Park, Georgetown commenced.
The GWI is contending that the structures demolished are illegal encroachments built along the Lama Canal, but some of the homeowners claim they were not properly informed of the demolition; and property owner Peter Ramsaroop has told this publication that his battery of lawyers will be filing legal action against the GWI in the coming days.
GWI’s Corporate Management Team, led by Managing Director Dr. Richard Van West-Charles
“We are going to file court action against GWI for damaging the property and for giving no prior notice. They are creating security risks for people in (this) area, and yards would be compromised,” he highlighted.
However, GWI Regional Manager, Georgetown, Curtis Niles, who was on site at Monday’s exercise, told this publication that the fences which the Bel Air Park residents had erected were affecting the GWI from clearing the canal, which provides water for the capital city.
“The fence is coming onto the reserve, and this will hinder cleaning of the [canal], which would affect our water quality. Removing these illegal structures would allow us to give Georgetown a better quality of water at a much cheaper cost; because if the weeds in the canal cannot be removed, it means more chemical has to be used for the water quality to be of acceptable standards,” Niles observed.
GWI’s Managing Director Dr Richard Van West-Charles was also on scene to oversee the demolition works. He pointed out that GWI had taken measurements of the area about three years ago, and had, in 2016, even attempted to meet the residents for discussion of the situation.
“This has been a long battle with the residents behind Lama Canal. This has been a battle with the previous administration. In 2015, when we took the original measurements, it was down to 180 feet from the road. Today, it’s 114 feet; so they’ve taken in about 60 feet already, and we can’t encourage this level of encroachment,” he declared.
Workers dismantling the fence
Guyana Times was informed that about 10 to 12 of the homes in the affected area currently have extended fences, and in at least one case, a pool was constructed.
GWI says it fully intends to dismantle all of the structures, and this was confirmed by Dr Van West-Charles. “We are going to be taking action straight along to all those who are encroaching onto to Lama. This is a bit of lawlessness; this is a reserve and they are encroaching without authorisation,” he stressed, indicating that it was a meeting of GWI’s corporate management that spurred the on-site visit.
“There are places down the line we have to look at, even behind Shelter Belt; we’re going to stop this,” he committed.
The first structure demolished is situated on the property owned by Ramsaroop, who serves as an advisor to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). He told Guyana Times on Monday evening that he is wondering if the move by GWI was political in nature.
Ramsaroop claims to have followed through with GWI’s orders in the past. “I am the only one who brought my fence in 20 feet with a directive from GWI’s lawyer. Since then, there has been no correspondence from GWI; and in 2007, I had filed an injunction against the City Council from touching the property, because when I purchased the property, it came with prescriptive rights,” he stressed.
According to a source familiar with the matter, it may be difficult for applicants to win their cases, as the section under the law relating to prescriptive rights was repealed. In the past, individuals had to prove that they were occupying land for 30 years to gain legal rights, but at present, no one can make such claims.
Guyana Times understands further that, long before the structures were erected, Bel Air Park residents had ventilated to the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) their fears of being robbed. According to information received, operatives within City Hall had reportedly given the residents permission to take care of the land, but weed it to curtail the bushes. However, in process of time, home owners had started to plant permanent trees and construct structures such as gazebos on the reserves. (Shemuel Fanfair)
