Two principals of Superior Concrete Inc, the company whose illegal construction was halted by the Ministry of Housing and Water and the Mayor and the City Council, have been asked to leave the country.
Deputy Chief Immigration Officer (DCIO), Superintendent Dennis Stephens yesterday confirmed to Stabroek News that the principals, Ian Jones and Richard Austin Shamlin were asked to leave the country.
According to DCIO, the men were made aware of the decision after being informed that their extension of stay had been revoked.
On Tuesday, Jones and Shamlin behaved in a hostile manner towards Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, as well as CH&PA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sherwyn Greaves. The minister, CEO, and others had made an impromptu visit to the site to observe for themselves what was going on.
The company has been illegally constructing a concrete batching facility at S5 Area ‘S’ Houston, Georgetown.
Upon arrival at the location yesterday, a man identified as Maxwell Snow, one of the directors of the company received the third contravention notice from staff of the Enforcement Department, the ministry said in a statement on Facebook.
The statement added that subsequently, another individual identified as Shamlin, approached the team and proceeded to ask them to leave the location, stating it was private property and he would not engage the team.
Speaking with this newspaper on Tuesday, Croal said he was baffled by the reaction from the directors of the company as the attack was uncalled for. He noted that his visit there was merely to ensure that the developers were compliant with the cease order and to remind them of the importance of following procedures.
Sources familiar with the issue say that the disrespectful behaviour of the two principals prompted the revocation of the extended permit of stay.
Jones on May 5th, 2021, the Ministry said, was identified as the company representative who destroyed and discarded the first contravention notice in the presence of the serving officer.
“While we continue to create an atmosphere conducive to investment, these investments must come through the right channel at all times and more importantly, the requisite permits must be sought,” the ministry had said.
The statement added that the ministry will not condone or tolerate illegality of any form by individuals or companies interested in conducting business here.
Superior Concrete undertook construction works without any authorisation from key stakeholders such as the Mayor & City Council, the Central Housing and Planning Authority, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Mayor Ubraj Narine told Stabroek News that only recently was a building application submitted to the City Engineer’s Department with details of the project. He explained that the company began construction and development of the plot way before the application was made.
At Monday’s statutory meeting, councillors took the decision to move to the High Court to completely halt operations at the site.
On this note, Narine had said that the Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore was tasked with engaging the council’s attorneys to file an injunction application to immediately halt all projects at Houston Estates that do not have the council’s approval.
