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Gov’t’s encroachment on privately owned lands a major concern – Elton Georges

- says residents complain of not being informed or compensated
At an exit and welcome press conference this morning June 30, 2015 at the Office of the Complaints Commissioner, outgoing Complaints Commissioner Mr Elton Georges, CMG, OBE noted that the issue of government encroaching on private lands is one of several issues on the table of the Complaints Commission. Photo: VINO
Outgoing Complaints Commissioner Mr Elton Georges, CMG, OBE and new Commissioner Mrs Sheila N. Brathwaite. Photo: VINO
Outgoing Complaints Commissioner Mr Elton Georges, CMG, OBE and new Commissioner Mrs Sheila N. Brathwaite. Photo: VINO
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – Time after time as government executes infrastructural projects across the territory they have reportedly been encroaching on private lands and not properly compensating or informing the owners of the land. This is just one of many issues the new Complaints Commissioner Ms Sheila N. Brathwaite will have before her during her tenure in office.

At an exit and welcome press conference this morning June 30, 2015 at the Office of the Complaints Commissioner, outgoing Complaints Commissioner Mr Elton Georges, CMG, OBE noted that this is one of several issues now on the plate of his successor Mrs Brathwaite.

“Another systemic investigation that she will inherit, and that report is still yet to be finalised as it is in draft, is into the matter of the government encroaching on private land when they are doing public works, especially during road building,” said Mr Georges.

He said they did investigations into the matter as there were quite a number of complaints on this matter that were brought to the commission. “There were so many complaints coming from persons who said the government had taken their property in some cases without prior agreement but even with prior agreement, with promises to compensate and then the compensation is taking years, and years and years.”

Mr Georges referenced a project which started some years ago in the Greenland area, the Georgie Hill Project, where the government of the day was improving the road to include changing the grade, widening and improving the drainage.

“Naturally they needed more land as it was there, the government property, and that means taking some land on either side of the road from private land owners.”

That being done, Mr Georges said the land owners were left for quite some time before they were informed of what was happening. “Some of the case we had, had been there many years. Land owners have been trying to get their matter settled with the Ministry [of Communications and Works] and not getting through so then they end up coming to complain to us,” added Mr Georges.

This and other matters are now in the hands of Mrs Brathwaite whose tenure begins July 1, 2015. She has been in the office over the past month becoming acquainted with her new bag of responsibilities as Mr Georges makes a clean exit into retirement.

5 Responses to “Gov’t’s encroachment on privately owned lands a major concern – Elton Georges”

  • True (30/06/2015, 18:22) Like (8) Dislike (0) Reply
    Please do something about this matter I recently visited my piece of property and it seem to be own by water and sewerage, electricity and now by government who paving roads no one had the courtesy to inform me or to ask for permission. In my observation some bacho and highmac operators just doing what they want.

    Why should land owners have to end up fighting government, and statutory bodies for encroaching on their properties. It need to stop
  • Oh yeah (30/06/2015, 21:09) Like (8) Dislike (0) Reply
    the place becoming a communist state.
  • GONE WITH TEH WIN (30/06/2015, 21:42) Like (2) Dislike (2) Reply
    finally ealtor is history...thank you Mr. Geroges
  • ABC (30/06/2015, 23:00) Like (8) Dislike (2) Reply
    Well Georges, you fought a good fight and the NDP pulled the rug from under you with no notice. One can only imagine that the fruit basket which the DDM give you will be viewed by the NDP as compensation for your hard work. Trust me, their day cannot be far away.
  • landowner (01/07/2015, 07:10) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Well what some of us don't realised is that since the government is setting out to become independent then in order for the government business to be carried out and continue then they will eventually use that lands for debt swap like some of the other Caribbean islands such as St Kitts/Nevis and Antigua in order to compensate for many setbacks. Think of the many expenses before, during and after the elections and more, perhaps we all need to see the audits to verify a lot of things but they too might not be true either.


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