The recent ultimatum given by the Environmental Health Division to unauthorised operators in Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke to clean up the area by removing all grills and tents still in place since Old Year’s celebrations has been lauded by talk show host Donald E. De Castro. Photo: VINO/File

Mr De Castro hopes that what the Environmental Health Division is going to do in Jost Van Dyke they also do it throughout the rest of the territory where offences may be committed. Photo: VINO/File

The Division had on March 4, 2016 advised that March 14, 2016 would be the deadline for persons to comply or have the Division collect the items and discard them.

It is not clear if the Environmental Health Division had followed through with its threat as efforts to reach Acting Chief Environmental Health Officer Yolanda Penn were futile.

A resident of Jost Van Dyke told this news site, however, that the Division “didn’t come through with it.” It is not clear if persons had complied to the advisory.

Meanwhile, Mr De Castro, speaking on his monthly show Straight Talk, aired on ZBVI 780 AM on March 9, 2016, said he saw in the news online that a lot of people were upset about what the Environmental Health Division had intended to do in Jost Van Dyke.

“While Environmental Health Department will be doing the right thing, my problem is that we need to enforce all the laws, all over the territory for everyone. If we had those enforcements many years ago we would not have all these tents all over the place today. And if we had bring someone to tell us what is right it becomes a problem.”

Mr De Castro recalled when he was in Guyana in 2000 and noticed there were vendors all over a particular street in Georgetown, some even in front of businesses, and the authorities removed the vendors’ tents one night and took them to the police station.

“And the people were upset. But sometimes we have to take drastic action. The laws are meant for everyone, not just a few. So let’s hope that whatever Environmental Health Division is going to do in Jost Van Dyke they do it throughout the rest of the territory where offences may be committed, and [this goes for] other departments.”

Environmental Health Division’s advisory

Acting Chief Environmental Health Officer, Mrs Yolanda Penn had stated that the event since Old Year’s was temporary and that no one should still be operating their food business unless licensed to do so by the Environmental Health Division. She added that persons must also possess a trade license from the Department of Trade, Investment Promotion and Consumer Affairs.

The Acting Chief further stated that even if persons are not operating at the site, items must be removed before further action is taken.

“Persons operating in the area will be given one week to clean the site and remove all personal property before the division has the items collected and discarded. The Environmental Health Division is committed to ensuring that all aspects of the environment with the potential to negatively impacting health are managed efficiently to enable all persons in the BVI to attain and maintain optimal health and social well-being,” a press release of the Division on March 4, 2016 had stated.