Land owners clash with residents over Kuru Kuru lands

May 11, 2019 News

Almost two weeks now a raging feud has been taking place over the ownership of the Kuru Kuru lands, East Bank Demerara. Residents have clashed with the alleged owners who are relatives of an individual identified as Dr. Philip Charles.

The Chairman of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council addressing the villagers

They claim Charles is the owner of the lands in the question.
The alleged beneficiaries have surfaced claiming to have land titles for the lands in question. They are also accusing the residents of squatting on the lands for over 10 years.
The lands are now filled with persons some of whom have established concrete structures. Others have lived in Kuru Kuru for so long that their children were born there.
Kuru Kuru residents have sent a letter to the chairman of their Neighbourhood Democratic Council demanding his help into the matter. In the letter they have raised concerns in relation to the alleged ownership of the lands and the destruction of their properties.

Some of the houses constructed with a new one in sight

According to the residents, the beneficiaries came with bulldozers and chain-saws and swarmed their way through their little settlement destroying their source of protection and crops. At least 150 residents signed to this letter.
One resident said, “These people just come and ripped out my barbed-wire fence and cut down crops like my coconut trees and so. When we talk the people became more vex than us.”

Some of the concerned villagers

Another resident stated, “I am a mother and on the day when these people came one of them looked at me and tell me that he will come and bulldoze my house and poison my water.”
In attendance at a meeting held with the residence was the Region Four Councilor, the chairman and the vice-chairman of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council of that area.
At the meeting persons spoke about the destruction of their properties. They attempted to seek answers as to what they should do next because amongst them are residents who have been living there for almost 15 years.
“I am a pensioner and I moved here since 2005 when was the flood. I need my place here because when it was a jungle you weren’t seeing anybody. Now that it has developed almost like a city and people made so many sacrifices they [beneficiaries] want to claim ownership,” another resident mentioned.
The residents added that a police rank came with the persons who destroyed their properties. However, before the men began their work the rank did not indicate their reason for being there and what they will be doing.

A destroyed resident’s fence

According to the chairman of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council, “Mr. Charles and his people are saying that they have two land titles and they also have another plot of land which is a part of their estate and we are on it.”
“However, from checks made by me at the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission, they have no records of his ownership.”
He went on to say that the land titles they have seen from Charles belongs to lands in Coverden, East Bank Demerara and plots behind that village, not for any section of Kuru Kuru.
The chairman further indicated that when he asked officers of the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission to come and speak to the residents on the issue, he was allegedly told that the matter is out of their hands.”
The chairman also stated that, “We will take legal actions from here because there are persons who are looking to upgrade their properties and are at a standstill because of the court order Charles have made.”
The residents are also now looking to create a list of the damage done to their properties and to seek legal actions for it.