– opposition members continue to negatively influence development
– Edghill says
THE Government of Guyana has started acquiring the properties along the Nandy Park and La Grange alignments as part of the new Demerara Harbour Bridge construction project.
This announcement came from Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, during a media briefing on Wednesday.

Minister Edghill outlined the legal process that led to the acquisition, citing April 6, 2024, as the date when properties identified for compulsory acquisition became vested in the state of Guyana. With this legal hurdle cleared, the government is poised to proceed with bridge construction.

He added, “So all the lands there that is [sic] in the path of the bridge having gone through the legal process is [sic] now vested in the state of Guyana, so we can get on with the construction of the bridge.”
Edghill stated that as a result of this order, on May 7, 2024, notices of eviction and demolition of property were dispatched to residents who did not accept offers from the government.

For those who accepted the offers from the government, all of their welfare issues were taken care of, along with compensation packages.
Following several stages of negotiations, the Public Works Minister said that for those who have not agreed to the offers presented, the ministry suggested approaching the courts.

“The Government of Guyana must obey the constitution of Guyana and the commitment to all the people of Guyana is that in all cases and this is not the only area where we have had to compulsorily acquire land for public good. We have settled with people based upon negotiations and in issues where the negotiation didn’t yield an amicable settlement, the court would have to rule and decide,” he said.

To this end, he said that in the letters dispatched to the 15 remaining residents just a few days ago, it indicated that they would have one month to remove as the demolition process is expected to begin.
Meanwhile, though everyone had initially agreed upon the sizeable financial package and relocation that were revealed to them in 2020, the Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, exclusively told the Guyana Chronicle that the members of the opposition have been attempting to persuade some residents to demand more from the government.

According to Minister Edghill, “Everyone in the way of the bridge agreed with us that they were prepared to give up their property and move to other places that were agreed on.”
Minister Edghill further stated that while some people are complying with the financial packages and other agreements that were given to them, a few others refused to move with the intention of getting more.

He reiterated, “While some people are honouring their agreements, we have some people who are not accepting the financial and other packages we are giving them. Now, we have decided to take the matter to court for a judge to determine whether it is a fair package or not. Whatever the judge decides, then that is what the government would be forced to pay. We believe in transparency, so we have decided to let an impartial arbitrator, meaning a judge, intervene.”

Referencing the continuous mischief by members of the opposition to stifle the development of Guyanese, Minister Edghill said, “Not that this comes as a surprise to us, but once again the opposition members have been up to no good. They have reached out to some of these residents, influencing them to get more from the government, knowing that the value of the properties is not worth what they are asking for.”

Meanwhile, the Guyana Chronicle obtained the acquisition document from the Ministry of Public Works, which reads,
“Chronology of Events Leading to the Acquisition of Properties for the Construction of the New Demerara River Bridge. It was first announced in September 2020 that the Government of Guyana had decided to site the New Demerara River Bridge along the Nandy Park to La Grange alignment.

On May 25, 2022, the contract for construction of the New Demerara River Bridge was signed between the Ministry of Public Works and the JV led by China Railway Construction Corporation (International).
In September 2022, the contractor JV provided a comprehensive land-acquisition and relocation plan to the Ministry of Public Works, showing all the properties that fall within the right-of-way of the new bridge.

In October 2022, a team from the Central Housing and Planning Authority and the Ministry of Public Works conducted a scoping exercise in order to compile a detailed report of the particulars of the properties to be acquired in the Peter’s Hall area of the new bridge.

In October 2022, the Hon. Collin Croal, Minister of Housing and Water, and a CH&PA team invited the residents of Peter’s Hall and Republic Gardens to a public engagement to inform them of the process that will unfold leading to the acquisition of their properties for the construction of the New Bridge.

In November 2022, the Government Valuation Office was engaged to conduct the appraisal for the list of properties that were to be acquired for the new bridge.
In January 2023, another engagement was held with residents of Peter’s Hall and Republic Gardens by CH&PA officers. At the meeting, the valuations were disclosed to the residents.

Most of the residents expressed their dissatisfaction with the valuations being offered and opted to have private valuations done.
In February 2023, the Hon. Collin Croal held a second public engagement to reinforce the CH&PA’s commitment to ensuring that the relocation process will be a smooth and equitable process for all the project-affected persons.

In March 2023, the CH&PA began the negotiation process and allocation of house lots and property to residents, commencing land-identification exercises at Peter’s Hall, Covent Gardens, and Farm. In September 2023, The Hon. Collin Croal, Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall, Attorney General, CHPA staff, stakeholders, and the project affected persons were engaged with the purpose of the meeting to state the government’s position and to once again express the government’s commitment to ensure that the relocation process is completed in a timely manner.

In the latter part of September 2023, further engagements were made between the residents and CH&PA officers. In October 2023, the Hon. Collin Croal, the Attorney General, and the assigned attorneys held a second engagement with the residents. The Attorney General stated that the process has gone on for a lengthy period and that there is an urgency for residents to agree to the terms of the agreement with their attorneys.

On February 10, 2024, Order 13 of 2024 was published in the Official Gazette for the Acquisition of Land for Public Purposes for the Construction of the new bridge
Later in February 2024, the Hon. Anil Nandlall, Mr. Juan Edghill, Minister of Public Works, Minister. Croal, CH&PA staff, and lawyers assigned to each resident held a third engagement at the Princess Hotel with residents who had not accepted the compensation agreements.

The attorneys indicated that the government will move to the courts for those residents who are not in agreement with the terms of the compensation agreement. On April 6, 2024, Order 28 of 2024 was published in the Official Gazette, vesting the described parcels of land in the Government of Guyana in accordance with Section 6. On May 7, 2024, a notice of eviction and demolition of property was dispatched to residents who did not accept the offer from the government.

Of the twenty-one (21) properties to be acquired in the Peter’s Hall area, six (6) property owners have accepted compensation packages, while fifteen (15) property owners have refused the compensation packages offered by the Government of Guyana, citing their dissatisfaction with the offer.