– As businessman refuses to give up gov’t reserve as per court order

PUBLIC Works Ministry workers using an excavator yesterday demolished a fence and two concrete structures that were alleged to have been illegally erected at the BM Soat Auto Sales show yard at Success, East Coast Demerara.

The demolition came three days after that ministry had signalled its intention to destroy the structures consequent upon the Government of Guyana, through the Works Ministry, winning judgement in the High Court in a matter involving ownership of a particular piece of land contended by the auto sales dealer, and the High Court specifically instructing the auto sales dealer to demolish the fence and all other objects or structures which sit on Government’s reserves and are preventing the Works Ministry from proceeding with its road expansion project.

The Works Ministry had moved last Tuesday to effect demolition of the impeding structures, including the fence; but the auto sales dealer had stymied the move by parking brand new vehicles in such a strategic way along the fence as to prevent the Works Ministry machinery from going into action.
Nevertheless, Works Ministry personnel, under direction of their senior operatives and accompanied by a heavy police presence, returned to the scene yesterday and began demolishing the fence and two structures — an ice cream parlour and an office — used by the auto sales dealer.
The directors and employees of the auto sales company were on hand to witness the demolition exercise, and several derogatory remarks were hurled at and about the Works Ministry, the incumbent minister and the Government of Guyana.
The son of the business owner related to the media that the family is in possession of a transport that awarded them the land which the ministry is now considering

Government’s reserve.
The man said that when Government re-designed the plan along the East Coast highway after coming up with the idea to have the road extended to a four-lane highway, that re-designed plan took in 14 feet of the auto company owner’s property, hence the contention and controversy.

The young man said that when the Works Ministry won the judgement in the High Court, Government moved on Tuesday to demolish the fence; but after the family had been served with the court order, he presented the family’s transport to the court to prove that what the Government was claiming as its reserve was in fact property that had been transported to his father.
As to the family’s subsequent moves, the man said they will continue to fight the issue in the court, since they have transport for the land that the government is claiming as its reserve.

As the Works Ministry team moved to execute the court order yesterday, the auto dealer’s workers busied themselves in removing items from the structures which housed the sales office and an ice cream parlour.

(By Leroy Smith)