A Plaisance, East Coast Demerara (ECD) family got the shock of their lives yesterday morning when a demolition crew attached to the Public Works Ministry dismantled their shop in the pouring rain.
According to Yonnete Porter, sometime after 8:30am several officers attached to the Works Ministry approached the shop, which her mother had been operating at the Plaisance Railway Embankment for decades, and began to dismantle the infrastructure.
She said that sometime last year, the family was told that a part of their shop, which was situated at the front of their home, had encroached on the reserve and they were directed to remedy the situation.
She noted, however, that sometime later another group of government officials were in the area and when approached by her mother, they indicated that everything was “okay,” where the building was concerned.
Porter further said that two weeks ago President Bharrat Jagdeo and a team of officials were on a walkabout in the area and her mother, Celestine Blackman, approached the team to clarify the issue. She said her mother was told that nothing was wrong with the location of their shop.
Porter noted that they were in the process of removing the front of the building, since the family was told that a car park was expected to be built there soon.
She said that last weekend Works Minister Robeson Benn was in the area and he indicated to a relative that the building would have to be removed.
She said that the family became concerned since they depended heavily on the shop.
She said that the family was renovating the shop when the infrastructure came under the hammer of the Works Ministry yesterday morning. A distraught Porter noted that the family was concerned about the entire incident, while adding that they were not given adequate notice regarding the issue.
The family was late last evening clearing the area and according to Porter, her mother will soon decide what form of action she will take regarding the issue.
