HALT TO HILLSIDE PLUNDER

The Diego Martin Regional Corporation yesterday issued a notice to Valeview Terrace developer, Gowkaran Mahabir, to stop construction immediately on his Diego Martin property and also gave him 24 hours to pave the road he dug up last week and to unclear clogged drains on St Lucien Road. He also has a week, according to corporation chairman, Bridgette Anisette Georg, in which to put in a box drain. George said there would be a police presence throughout the paving of Valeview, which begins this morning.

Anisette George added that yesterday’s stop notice was the second one issued to Mr Mahabir by the corporation, the first coming in March 2003, when according to its chairman the corporation noted the hillside was being cleared for the contruction of townhouses, for which the corporation had not been asked, nor had it given any permission. Mahabir she said, when asked about the development, provided only  an EMA Certificate of Clearance, Town and Country outline approval and permission from WASA. But she added, Mahabir had no approval from the Chief of Designs,  the Fire Services nor  the Drainage Division. Furthermore, she said, after the stop notice of March, she asked the developer to do only “restoration work” to repair the “substantial scarring” of the mountainside. He was told to put in proper drainage and retention ponds.

Yesterday, Newsday received a copy of the EMA certificate, signed by its director Dave Mc Intosh, to which were attached several conditions. Among them was that construction hoardings and fences should be established to minimise disturbance on neighbouring fences with respect to noise, dust and runoff, and one month’s porior notice should be given not only to the Highways Division, Traffic Mangement Branch and Police but to the public. Temporary drainage was also supposed to be designed and approved by the Drainage Division, site preparations should have had minimal disturbance on neighbouring residences with respect to noise, dust and run-off. The developer was also liable for damage to adjoining properties caused by his work.

Yesterday, residents laughed at the EMA’s certificate and its conditions, stating that Mahabir was clearly not adhering to many of these.They said he told them the land had been his father’s and he could do with it as he pleased. They added that he never gave them a month’s notice. The EMA’s Corporate Communications Officer, Neil Parsanlal, yesterday said he was aware of the Valeview situation, and added that the EMA was monitoring it. When asked exactly what he meant by monitoring, if the EMA had sent an officer to speak to the residents and view the problems on the site, Parsanlal said he could not say.