The GuyExpo planning committee on Monday demolished a booth at the Sophia Exhibition site belonging to horticulturalist Boyo Ramsaroop and has since said that that action was taken because he had built it without permission.

Ramsaroop told Stabroek News (SN) on Tuesday that he constructed the booth following an agreement with the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA).

Ramsaroop said two weeks ago the GTA contracted him to decorate two booths for them, for which he charged $50,000 and $110,000 respectively. He said with permission from some senior GTA members he built a little booth in front of the GTA building in Sophia to enhance their booth, thus having a joint exhibition. Ramsaroop said under this verbal arrangement, he charged the GTA half price for decorating that booth, which was constructed on its patio.

When SN contacted co-chairman of the committee, Derrick Cummings, and tourism minister Manniram Prashad about the matter neither was able to comment. However, the minister’s assistant, Esther Sukraj, told SN on Tuesday evening, on behalf of administrator Ronald Doorgen, that Ramsaroop was never given permission to construct a booth nor had he paid for one. Sukraj said based on the information she received Ramsaroop never paid for a booth at GuyExpo and that he was “squatting in someone else’s booth.”

Sukraj said there were more that 15 others like Ramsaroop who were occupying spots without paying for them.

Further, she said, these persons were given a warning and, she believes that Ramsaroop was also warned. In one instance, she said, the persons were warned and they left only to return and to the same spot. Sukraj said persons were advised that if they did not heed the warning further action would be taken.

Ramsaroop told this newspaper that everything went well but on Sunday he was told that he had to pay $25,000. He said he had no problem with paying but that the GTA owed him $71,000 from a craft shop he did in April so the money could be deducted from that sum.

Ramsaroop said persons including Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Prashad and a number of tourists visited his booth and were very impressed with the flowers, plants and photographs he had on display.

He added that on Monday he replenished the booth with fresh plants and photographs and when he went back to the site at between 5 and 5.30 pm he found a demolition crew breaking down his booth. Ramsaroop said it was being done carelessly and he pleaded with the crew to be careful with his possessions.

The horticulturalist said the incident was “wicked” and that the crew told him that the committee handed down the orders and that only it can determine if he could go back to that spot.

Ramsaroop said that he has estimated more than $300,000 in damage (of photos, plants and flowers) but he will wait to see what happens before he takes any action. He told this newspaper that this incident arose because nobody wanted to pay him sums they owed.