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

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.