Noting the government’s zero-tolerance stance on squatting, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall has contended that Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) must do more to exercise their powers to prevent and remove illegal encumbrances erected within their respective jurisdictions.
“Both of these local authority organs have wide ranging powers on the different pieces of legislation to remove encumbrances from public reserve, reserves, government reserves, state lands, et cetera,” Nandlall highlighted on Tuesday evening during his programme “Issues in the News”.
“And you are to use those powers, serve notices, take the persons to court, or use the power to demolish the buildings as they are being erected. Or if you need central government help, well, then enlist that help.”
In fact, Nandlall contended that the RDCs and NDCs must be more proactive in dealing with these situations during the construction phases of these illegal structures.
“A building is not built in a day. And once you are vigilant and you see the construction starting, you know, on a plot of land that is demarcated or identified as a public reserve, government reserve, state reserves, et cetera, you take immediate actions. And in that way, you nip the thing in the bud before it becomes a problem,” he asserted.
Additionally, he encouraged RDCs and NDCs to retain the services to lawyers, in order to better deal with these types of situations.
“These local authorities perform legal functions that are outlined in various pieces of legislation. I have made those legislation available to all these authorities. But you may have a problem in reading and understanding them. And that is understandable. You’re not lawyers. But if you have on retainer a lawyer who can assist you, then you would discharge your functions far more effectively,” he noted.
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