The rapid rate at which encumbrances continue to become a fixture on government reserves and public roads was highlighted during a recent live call-in programme on National Communications Network (NCN) when Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn along with members of the ational Commission on Law and Order (NCLO) expressed great concern.
According to a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA), Minister Benn said that the encumbrances can be seen almost everywhere and are becoming eyesores.
“Among the items and activities that contribute to the unsightly scene both in the city and its environs are sand, mixing of cement, aggregates on the road, vending stands, shops, builders’ waste, garbage, old vehicles, machine shops, double parking and liming spots,” Benn said.
He noted also that coupled with these encumbrances, there is also the active and continuous building of permanent structures on the roadways without the permission of the Chief Works Engineer of the Public Works Ministry.
“Violations are constant and these exercises usually occur at weekends when it is felt that authorities are not on the road…in the first instance on seeing an encumbrance the local authorities and police ought to react to it…it is the Ministry of Public Works’ responsibility to act on those encumbrances…the law allows for the keeping of the obstruction (whether it is a vehicle and the auctioning there of, or the seizure of other obstructions with the owners being made to pay fines)…outside of areas usually which are not public roads but access roads, it falls to the NDCs to take action, but it has been a hard role in terms of many of the agencies to get their acts together to cooperate on the issue,” Benn stated.
NCLO members who were part of the programme – Mark Bender, Ramesh Sugrim and Taajnauth Jadunauth – all agreed that some of the ongoing occurrences along the reserves and roadways are economic and income-earning activities for some persons, but the act of encumbrance remains unlawful and places the lives of all road users, including the very persons involved in carrying out the act at risk.
“The NCLO will continue to speak out about encumbrances…it is a lot of lawlessness as persons are of the belief that they have the right to do so,” Sugrim said.
