-Explains his office’s move to impound Jibb family’s building materials

By: Indrawattie Natram
REGION Two Regional Executive Officer Rupert Hopkinson is maintaining that squatting on Government’s reserves is illegal and calls on the public to co-operate and to desist from the illegal act.

Hopkinson’s comments came after much controversy on social media about a measure he took to temporarily impound materials that were to be used by a Jibb family to construct a house allegedly on Government’s reserves.

According to Hopkinson, a woman visited his office in early January 2018 seeking permission to build a house on a Government reserve after returning from Venezuela. Hopkinson said that despite his warning to her that it was illegal he received a phone call that the said family began to construct a permanent structure on a reserve at Jibb, Essequibo Coast. “I warned the family approximately seven times that they cannot squat; instead I encouraged them to apply for a house lot…in fact I told them that I will help them during the process, but they still continued,” Hopkinson told the Guyana Chronicle.

The REO in addressing the issue said he then brought the matter before ‘G’ Division Commander Khali Pareshram and sought his help in getting his ranks to warn the family. Hopkinson said that in the meantime he contacted the Evergreen Paradise Neighborhood Democratic Council (NDC) Chairman Lionel Budhram on the issue.

“I went to the family, I said Madam you cannot build the house here it is illegal, it is blocking our way to desilt drains in the area, this administration will not want to permit any squatting because this is unlawful, then I was told that she continued to build, I saw that there was some lumber on the road and as such I went to the station and informed the police again,” the REO said.

“I personally went to the NDC and told [the Chairman] to tell the woman to desist from building. He did not do so, so I went back to the police,” Hopkinson said. He said that he did not issue any warning letter from his office to the family because it was the NDC’s job to investigate.

According to the REO, the police along with Regional Officials then visited the family and caught them in the act and as such the lumber that was on the road was impounded temporarily.

“Advice given”
Hopkinson during the interview said that the family along with the NDC Chairman was aware of the matter and advice was given in relation to the issue.

‘House lots available’
The REO said that currently there are low income homes that are available at Onderneeming and as such families can use the opportunity to apply for house lots. “If we allow squatting then other persons will use it as an opportunity and then we cannot tell them anything, I am trying to prevent a situation whereby persons are going to build houses on unoccupied land, that was the reason why the idea of building parks came about to avoid situation like these,” Hopkinson said.

Regional Chairman’s response
When contacted on the matter Region Two Chairman Devanand Ramdatt said the RDC strongly objects to the actions meted out to the young family, with two children whose schooling, he said, has been affected as a result. Ramdatt said that the matter came under the responsibility of the NDC and the actions taken by the REO staff to demolish the building do not find support from the RDC which he heads.

The RDC recommends strongly that the suffering family be compensated for damages suffered within the shortest possible time. Ramdatt said that Haimwattie Sooknandan along with her husband and two children returned from Venezuela due to the present economic constraints and started to build a house on a portion on land occupied by Mr Balkarran Sooklall of Jibb.

He said that written documentation dated November 30, 2017 reveals that Mr. Balkarran Sooklall who occupied the said land for over forty-eight years agreed that Sooknandan build her house temporarily on a portion of the said land. He said the Regional Vice Chairperson for the region Nandranie Coojah also visited the same day the house was demolished and raised her objection but such was not heeded.

Ramdatt further said that the demolished building materials costing in excess of $500,000 were allegedly damaged and taken into the D&I compound without any proper record or storage. He also said the Evergreen – Paradise NDC did not support the demolition of the said building and objects to such highhanded approach in addressing the matter.

When contact was made to the Jibb family Haimwattie Sooknandan explained that the REO did visit her one day and told her not to build. She said she explained to him that it was a temporary structure and she had nowhere else to live.

The woman then explained that she took the materials that are currently impounded on ‘credit’ and is expected to pay a monthly installment to the lumber dealers. She is also contending that there are over 40 squatters in the area and nothing was done to them.