By Marcelle Thomas
Even as Guyanese-American developer Kris Persaud of Tri-Star Investments forges ahead with development of its shorebase at Versailles, West Bank Demerara (WBD), the company has entered into a long-term lease agreement with the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) for nearly 100 acres of more land in other areas, distances away but also on the WBD.
The 50-year respective leases with NICIL are for portions of land in the Toevlugt/Patentia district and cover 9.76 acres, 61.80 acres, 15.44 acres and 17.49 acres.
It is unclear what the land will be used for. Stabroek News tried reaching out to representatives of Tri-Star last week, but was unsuccessful. Employees at the site of the Versailles development informed that they were not allowed to speak on behalf of the company. This newspaper also messaged Persaud but up to press time there was no response to questions asked.
Earlier in this year, Persaud had told this newspaper that Phase I of the Versailles project was scheduled to be completed by the end of the third quarter of this year, and he was enthused that the project will help to complement the planned Region Three developmental transformation.
When this newspaper saw him at State House months later, he had said, “a lot is happening and there is more coming”.
While not naming TriStar, President Irfaan Ali had told the recent Private Sector Commission dinner that Region Three would this year see an additional port, and its construction was evidence of the economic growth of the country. In addition, he said that with the planned gas-to-energy plant at Region Three coming on stream and a number of businesses from various sectors starting up in the region, projects such as the port were needed.
A notice in the Official Gazette details the lease. “By: National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited, a company incorporated in Guyana under the provisions of the Companies Act 1991 with registered office situated at 199 Camp Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown, Demerara, Guyana. Firstly: A Lease for the term of 50 years commencing from the date of execution hereof in respect of Tracts “A’ and “B” being portions of Plantation Hermitage, in the Toevlugt/Patentia Local Government District, situated on the west bank of the Demerara River, in the Republic of Guyana, between Plantations Free and Easy and Reynstein, the said tracts ‘A’ and ‘B’ containing an area of 9.76 acres and 61.80 acres respectively, being shown on a plan by Hansraj Persaud, Sworn Land Surveyor, dated 27th day of July, 2002 and recorded in the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission on the 14th May, 2024, as Plan No. 32794 and deposited in the Deeds Registry on the 16th May, 2024.
“Secondly: A Lease for the term of 50 years commencing from the date of execution hereof in respect of Tracts ‘A’ and ‘B’ being portion of all those pieces or parcels of land containing 420 roods in façade in depth called and known as Reynstein or Hamilton’s Farm, in the Toevlugt/Patentia Local Government District, situated on the west bank of the Demerara River, in the County of Demerara, in the Republic of Guyana, bounded on the north by Plantation Hermitage, on the south by Plantation Maria’s Lodge, on the east by the Demerara River and on the west by crown lands, the said tracts ‘A’ and ‘B’ containing an area of 15.44 acres and 17.49 acres respectively, being shown on a plan by Hansraj Persaud, Sworn Land Surveyor dated 25th day of July, 2002 and recorded in the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission on the 14th May, 2024 as Plan No. 32793 and deposited in the Deeds Registry on the 16th May, 2024.
“T\o: Tri-Star Inc, a company incorporated in Guyana under the provisions of the Companies Act, 1991, with its registered office situated at Lot 20 Area “P” Old Road, Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, Guyana.”
The Stabroek News last week visited the Toevlugt/Patentia district to ascertain where the land was located and if any work had begun. However, the exact location could not be ascertained. There is massive development work in the area from the beginning of Toevlugt to the end of Patentia, Vive la Force, Vriesland and beyond.
GAICO Construction and General Services has a shorebase development where Nismes Village ends and Toevlugt begins and that company is also expanding its works.
A 30 minutes slow drive left off the Demerara Harbour Bridge toward the Wales gas-to-energy project, takes one through a number of villages – Sisters, Goed Intent, Vive la Force, Vriesland, Patosi, and Free and Easy among others – and in each clearing of land can be seen .
At the intersection where Patentia ends and Vriesland begins, a fire station has been built and the Ministry of Housing and Water has a riverside port where construction material is continuously offloaded for a housing project on a large swathe of land on the opposite side.
Tri-Star had faced severe criticism when it began preparatory work for the project in 2021, over its destruction of the large swathe of mangroves on its property, but had said that it would replace the natural sea defence system with steel revetment to ensure there was no flooding of the area.
The company had told this newspaper that nearly 20,000 tonnes of steel sheet piles were available to construct a revetment to protect the land.
Government had reasoned that while mangroves form natural sea defences, this country had to also take into context that it was a developing one and the Demerara River bank especially would see development that required clearing of the mangroves. It had also made clear that it would not compromise the draining capacity and as such replacement sea defences would be instituted.
Government has said that land on both sides of the Demerara River was in such high demand that currently it had few areas to lease.
