STANDOFF!!!...BM Soat, Min of Public Works in standoff over fence on government reserve

STANDOFF!!!…BM Soat, Min of Public Works in standoff over fence on government reserve

Dec 24, 2013 News

Employees of the auto dealership BM Soat located at Success, East Coast Demerara, yesterday blocked officials from the Ministry of Public Works from breaking down a fence which the Public Works officials pronounced was on Government reserve.
Prior to this incident the Public Works Ministry had issued statements to BM Soat informing the business that it had constructed a fence on 14 feet of Government reserve. The Ministry stated that the auto dealers would have to move the fence off the reserve since it is impeding the four-lane road expansion works being conducted there.

Tires and rims removed and placed under the vehicle to stop police from moving it.

General Manger of BM Soat, Rameez Mohamed, told Kaieteur News that the company has transport for the land that government is claiming is reserve. He added that when the land was surveyed the area where the fence currently is, belonged to the company. His land and the adjoining lands were resurveyed and in that second survey it was determined that their lands and the neighbouring lands were on government reserve in excess of fourteen feet.
His opinion is that the first survey stands.
It so happened that BM Soat filed an injunction against the government in court to halt the removal of their fence but last Friday, the injunction was thrown out of the court by the Judge. Kaieteur News was informed that the Public Works Ministry gave the auto dealership eight hours to remove the fence or have it removed by the Works Ministry.
BM Soat did not comply with the eight hour deadline. As such the Ministry officials descended on the property yesterday by order of Minister Robeson Benn to

The vehicles that were parked inside and outside of the fence to inhibit public works employees.

demolish the Fence. The workers from the Ministry were on the scene around 08:30hrs and commenced demolition but no sooner had they started, than the BM Soat employees quickly moved the vehicles that were on display and blocked the Public Works officials from proceeding any further with their demolition.
The employees reportedly quickly drove vehicles (buses) that were inside of the compound very close to the fence on the inside while other vehicles were driven to the outside of the fence and parked in such a manner that the Public Works employees were unable to do any further demolition.
The Public Works officials upon meeting resistance drove their excavator across the road only to have that blocked by the business owner’s SUV (Range Rover) in the front and to the back by another vehicle.
The police arrived four hours later, only to direct the flow of traffic that was building up around the area. Some four hours later more senior ranks came to address the situation with tow trucks but were faced with more resistance from the BM Soat employees.
This time around BM Soat employees moved some of their vehicles which were on the outside of the fence only to replace them with Canter trucks and bigger trucks,

Canter truck that was later used to block the disputed fence.

while those cars that remained on the outside next to the fence had their tires and wheels removed and placed under their respective vehicles.
The General Manager lager conceded that it was wrong to block the excavator and as such they removed the vehicle a back of the excavator and it was allowed to move freely.
Now armed with legal advice from their attorneys the General Manger reportedly told the Public Works officials that if any damage is rendered to their vehicles which were tightly blocking the access to controversial fence they would be individually sued.
Immediately, the excavator operator refused to work until consensus was gained, while the police tow truck had reportedly broken down.
The standoff between the Public Works Ministry and BM Soat business personnel lasted throughout the day and around 20:00 hrs the standoff came to end when the officials from the Public Works Ministry and the Police senior ranks decided to leave the scene.
The Public works officials said they would return. Meanwhile, the General Manager said that he is in the process of appealing the injunction and is expected to receive conformation today.