Richard Austin Shamlin and Ian Charles Jones, the Directors of Superior Concrete who had verbally abused Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal and his team when they carried out a surprise visit to their operation site, will not be allowed back in Guyana to conduct business, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has announced.
“The company is welcome here but not these two people who believe they can disparage this country and act illegally, they are not welcome here,” Jagdeo told a press conference last Friday.
Jagdeo stated that government welcomes the investment and urged the company to be compliant with all regulatory processes before resuming operations. Against this background, he disclosed that requests made by the company to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and G-Invest for concessions have been put on hold until all regulatory processes are followed.
The company was served three notices of contravention by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and the Ministry of Housing and Water and asked to cease works after it was not granted permission for any works for the construction of a concrete manufacturing facility adjacent to South Ruimveldt Gardens.
However, Shamlin, in a statement sent to this newspaper last week, said that the company “initially overlooked – but quickly rectified – a fencing permit application” facility at S5 Area ‘S’ Houston, Georgetown – while adding that all of its permits were “in process and required paperwork has been submitted.”
The company has made two applications to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for environmental authorisation for a temporary concrete supply utilising a mobile batching plant for 8 weeks and a concrete supply utilizing an Imer 100 batching plant. The applications were made on February 2 2021 and March 17, 2021, respectively.
In April, the company also applied to the Mayor and City Council for a building plant inspection and on May 10th made an application for fencing the land.
However, it is unclear whether any of the agencies have granted permission to the company.
Residents of South Ruimveldt had complained of the destruction to the David Rose access road caused by trucks hired by the company to execute works.
The company, valued at a billion dollars according to its Certificate of Incorporation, decided to set up operations at the invitation of the Guyanese government.
“We hold immense pride in our mission to create economic prosperity for the people of Guyana and uplift the community in which we serve. Our company is committed to following all Guyanese laws and procedures,” Shamlin noted, while adding that they have set high goals to go beyond their legal requirements in order to work “collaboratively and respectfully with Guyanese stakeholders,” and positively impact Guyana through paid mentorship programmes, college scholarships, sponsored youth sports and more.
But Shamlin and Jones were both given seven days to leave the country after a verbal attack on Croal, CH&PA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sherwyn Greaves and others who made an impromptu visit to observe what was happening on the site on May 11.
A short while before, another company director, Maxwell Christopher Snow was served with the third contravention notice from staff of the Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Housing and Water.
The ministry said in a statement 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 members.
Jones was identified as the company representative who destroyed and discarded the first contravention notice in the presence of the officer on May 5, 2021, the ministry also said.
Speaking with this newspaper following the incident, Croal said he was baffled by the reaction from the directors of the company and that 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 their extended stay permits.
Mayor Ubraj Narine told Stabroek News that a building application was only recently 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 as 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.
