Two witnesses appearing yesterday before the commission of inquiry (CoI) into land matters, pointed to the lack of action by the relevant agencies when it comes to the removal of squatters.
During yesterday’s hearing of the inquiry, which is being held at the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, the commission first heard evidence from Rishi Thakur, a lecturer at the University of Guyana’s Berbice campus, and later from Garfield Aaron, who identified himself as a private investigator and a former detective of the Guyana Police Force.
Though both far removed—Thakur representing the interests of the #67 and #68 villages rates and taxpayers’ association, located in the Corentyne, Berbice; and Aaron representing the interests of the descendants of a foreparent who reportedly purchased the Friendship plantation on the East Bank of Demerara—they both raised similar concerns regarding the actions of the agencies who are tasked with managing these lands.
Thakur explained that the Association is currently