As part of the City Council’s ongoing programme to reclaim spaces that are being used illegally, a team yesterday removed a container and demolished a shed adjoining the Electronics City building on Sheriff Street.
A team including the Town Clerk, Royston King, gathered on the corner of Sixth Avenue, Subryanville and Sheriff Street with several heavy-duty vehicles to move the container and tear down the shed.
Speaking to Stabroek News, King related that the container had been on the road for more than five years and despite the owner being served with several notices, no attempt was made to comply with the law.
“We have served notices upon notices upon notices to this particular businessman and he insists that he must allow the container to remain there,” King said, while pointing out that throughout the period that the container has been there, it has caused a major blockage to the drain.
At the side of the container there was leftover cement and wood that was used to construct the illegal shed that was encumbering the drains.
“This is part of the reclamation plan by the city council that is being executed and we are removing this container.
We will also demolish the shed which is illegal and not according to the approved plans,” King said, while stating that he is charging all the businessmen to have a social conscience and to be mindful of their corporate and social responsibility. He said they should also seek to secure the environment and the community in which they operate and to comply with by the building bylaws and building codes.
“We are not only targeting small persons that are ignoring the city laws but everyone who breaches the law,” he added.
King related that the operation started last week and they are currently looking at several places on Campbell Avenue where persons are unlawfully utilizing the city spaces. “We went to Status Hotel and asked them move one of their containers and they asked us for three hours to remove it,” he said, while emphasizing that the spaces in the city are collectively owned by all the citizens and the Mayor and City Council has the authority to ensure that the integrity of the spaces is preserved.
After much difficulty trying to remove the container, the men were able to safely load it onto a truck. Subsequently, workers from the council climbed onto the roof of the shed and removed the roofing sheets before one of the heavy-duty machines demolished the construction.
While the persons in charge of the building were on site, they did not object to the city’s actions. One of the men said that they did not want to comment on the situation.
