THE fence which BM Soat had erected on the disputed parcel of land at Success, East Coast Demerara was torn down by the Ministry of Public Works last week Friday because it had been erected on Government’s reserve; and despite the outcome of the long or short haul, the fence will have to be removed.

Public Works Minister Robeson Benn demonstrates with the use of a map the area which was designated for road widening on the East Coast of Demerara, and on which businessman BM Soat had allegedly erected illegal structures

That is the position Public Works Minister Robeson Benn articulated in an emergency press conference held late yesterday afternoon to advise the media, and by extension all Guyana, that the plot of land upon which the businessman had placed his fence to the north and east has been designated Government reserve for years, and no new or old plan can possibly grant the businessman that plot of land on which his fence currently sits.

Minister Benn said the ministry acted within the confines of the law in removing the fence and other offending structures; and even after the structures had been taken down, the ministry had not been served with any court order refraining its personnel from pulling down the structures.

Benn told the media that only while the ministry was in the process of removing the debris that the attorney for the businessman showed up with a court order and served it on the works ministry crew, which saw the work immediately coming to a halt.

The ministry also was acting on a court order in its favour when it proceeded to bring down the fence and other structures at the business premises because they were deemed to be on Government reserve, Benn told reporters.

He further disclosed that the businessman had given the ministry a commitment to remove the fence within a stipulated time frame; and when he failed to do that, the ministry acted on its court order.

Minister Benn made it clear that the demolition was not intended to target the businessman. He said there are other persons living and dwelling along the same stretch of road who are also on Government reserve, but a decision had been taken that the ministry would defer any demolition pending the outcome of the court case with BM Soat. This decision was also agreed to by others occupying the reserve.

The court will today hear a matter that addresses the ministry’s decision to bring down the fence on Friday when there was a court order restraining the Ministry from so doing. However, as reported earlier in this very story, Minister Benn has said that his men were not served the order until after the structures had been destroyed.

The Public Works Minister said that since 2007 the businessman has been receiving warnings and letters of violation from the Ministry and the NDC, all of which he ignored. But when the ministry moved to dismantle the structures constructed on the reserve, the businessman, through his lawyers, approached the court to prevent the ministry from carrying out its business.

The minister said the country’s road expansion programme has been incurring additional costs through delays being experienced by its contractors on the East Coast in the vicinity of the auto sales company; and at the last count, the amount stood at just over forty million dollars.

Based on calculations done by the ministry and the plan shown to the media, which had been finalized since 1973, BM Soat has exceeded his boundaries by thousands of square feet.
Written By Leroy Smith