–forced to sleep under tree during heavy rainfall

EARNEST Edwards who had been living on Block Six Waiakabra, Linden/Soesdyke Highway and his extended family comprising eighteen others have been homeless since July 4 after an individual known to him as Pitchan Bharat demolished their three houses. 

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, a dismayed Edwards said that he had been living at the said address with his family since 1992 after he developed the land which was “bush” at the time. He said that years of work

have been put into what Block 6 is now from when he had first arrived.
Edwards explained that with the support of his family, he was successful in building three houses which served as a shelter for his extended family of nineteen up until it was demolished on July 4.
In 2008, however, Edwards noted that Bharat visited him at his address and demanded that he vacate the premises. “He also threaten me, telling me that I need to go in the interior and find a place in my Mission,” the distressed man said.
“I told him I am not leaving the land, and he said that he has money, and will see to it that he will spend money and get me out of the place. He told me he owns the whole area but I ask him where was he all the time I was living here and he didn’t answer me,” Edwards said.
Edwards then received a letter from a Court Marshal, addressed to Pitchan Bharat, directing that all buildings on Block Six Waiakabra will be destroyed because the place had been occupied illegally. This then led to the destruction of the three properties on Friday July 4th.

Assisted by the regional councillor, Edwards then moved to investigate the matter with the court and more particularly with the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission to gain possession of legal documents which would have supported a legal claim of the land by Bharat.
This was futile, however, as the document received by him from the Lands and Surveys Commission indicated that there was no legal ownership of Block 6 Waiakabra.

The letter stated:

“Your correspondence on the above mentioned subject (Status of Plot six Waiakabra Soesdyke/Linden Highway), received on July 8, 2014 refers. Please be informed that the Commission has no Lease on record for Plot 6 Waiakabra, Soesdyke/Linden Highway” and was signed by M. S. Hutson, Manager Land Administration (ag), For Commissioner of Lands and Surveys.

This, along with a letter from the court, which was contradictory, was also presented to the Guyana Chronicle. That letter read:
“UPON READING the Application by way of Summons on the part of the above-fourth-named Plaintiff filed herein on the 8th day of January, 2014 and the Affidavit of the Plaintiff sworn to on the 8th day of January, 2014 and filed in Support thereof AND UPON HEARING Attorney-at-Law for the Plaintiff IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that leave be and is hereby granted to issue a Writ of Possession directing the Marshall of the High Court to remove the defendants, ANTHONY EDWARDS, WENDY EDWARDS and EARNEST EDWARDS from occupation of Lot 6 being portions of state land situate in the rear of Soesdyke and Hyde Park on the western side of the Soesdyke Linden Highway on both banks, Madewini River, Right bank Demerara River in the county of Demerara, Guyana, as described in plan dated the 10th April,1976, dran by P.T. Fung & A. Mahabal, Government Surveyors better known as Lot 6 Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke, in the County of Demerara, in the Republic of Guyana, pursuant to the order of the Honourable Madame Justice Diana Insanally dated the 23rd day of November, 2009.”
Both letters along with other documents comprising a summons to Edwards, a petition made to the Chief Justice, a letter from the Attorneys-at-Law representing Bharat and other materials were submitted to this publication to solidify Edwards’ claim that Bharat has no legal ownership of the said land.
The tearful husband, father and grandfather detailed his living experience and the struggle he endured through the years to provide his family with the basic comfort of having a roof over their head. He noted that his grandchildren would usually walk miles to attend school and since the demolition of their house, they were unable to attend school.
This information was reiterated by his son-in- law who also stressed how hard he had worked in developing the land from what they described as “bush.” He said too that Edwards has cultivated crops – fruit trees, coconuts, mangoes, oranges and an eddoe farm on the land which serves as part of their income.
Edwards also recalled, shockingly, that on the night of the destruction, his entire family, comprising of nineteen members were forced to sleep under a tree while it rained heavily. His two-week-old grandchild was also exposed to the inclement weather conditions since they had no other alternative.

FIGHT FOR JUSTICE
He estimated the total damage to be approximately $3M, including the houses and electrical appliances. He said that they had suffered tremendously and his fight is not against Bharat but for justice.
In that light, he is currently engaged in a series of legal actions, including court procedures, where he will make his appearance shortly to justify his cause and seek justice.
In attempting on several occasions to make contact with Bharat, this publication failed even as his number was not listed in the telephone directory.

(By Ravin Singh)