Some West Coast Berbice villagers from Belladrum, Eldorado, Paradise, Golden Fleece and Weldaad are raising an alarm over what they allege is the PPP government’s attempt to confiscate “their transported and ancestral lands” without proper consultation and compensation.
In an attempt to address their concerns, on
Thursday the Leader of the PNCR, Mr. Aubrey Norton, and members of the Party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) met with the residents and pledged the full support of the PNCR in this matter.
Residents were advised to file an injunction in the courts to suspend the canal construction to reassert their property rights if the MMA/ADA fail to hold adequate consultations and to respect their demands.
The Party Leader informed the villagers of a similar situation behind the village of Mocha on the East Bank of Demerara, where the government is reportedly offering residents $20M for their lands to accommodate a new road. Mr. Norton had advised the villagers there that they must bear in mind that a completed highway would increase their land value to approximately $200M.
The government (through the MMA/ADA) has embarked on the construction of a new canal to drain 8,000 acres of rice lands at the back of Belladrum into the Abary River.
