An East Coast Demerara farmer has filed a $9.2M lawsuit against the Region Four, Regional Democratic Council (RDC) and its Vice Chairman Earl Lambert after his bora plants which were being cultivated on a dam were destroyed.
The aggrieved man, Hamekarran Narine contends that two other persons farming in the same area did not suffer the same fate. Narine was listed as the plaintiff and Lambert and the RDC are named as defendants.
Through his team of lawyers headed by former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, he is asking the court to grant him damages in excess of $2M for malicious damage to property; damages in excess of $2M for trespass; special damages in the sum of $1.26M; exemplary damages in excess of $2M and aggravated damages in excess of $2M.
In his statement of claim, the 47 year old cash-crop farmer and father of three said during the month of April, 2016, he cleared a portion of a dam situated at Strathavon, East Coast Demerara, and cultivated thereon approximately 800 roots of cucumber and 2000 roots of bora.
“The Plaintiff is personally aware that this said dam has been constantly and consistently under cultivation with cash-crops by residents of Strathavon, East Coast Demerara, over the last forty (40) and more years”, the statement said.
It added that at the Narine commenced cultivation on the dam there were two other residents of Strathavon, East Coast Demerara, cultivating cash-crops there.
“To date, these said two (2) persons continue to cultivate cash-crops on the said dam”, it was stated.
During the month of June, 2016, Narine said that he reaped the crop of cucumber and bora which he cultivated in April, 2016. Later that month he cultivated a second crop of 2000 roots of bora on the said dam.
It was alleged that on September 2, 2016, in the presence of the Plaintiff, Lambert “directed and instructed a group of men armed with cutlasses whom he brought, to enter upon the portion of the said dam cultivated by the Plaintiff and to chop to the ground, which they did, over two thousand (2,000) bearing bora plants”.
It was stated that Narine pleaded with the men to permit him to reap the said crop of bora before they destroyed it, explaining that he had no other source of income to maintain and upkeep his family.
According to the statement, Lambert and his servants did not harm the crops planted by the other two cash-crop farmers which were located a few feet on either side of the Plaintiff’s crops.
