When projects are funded by external agencies, banks or even governments, there are conditions by which the money is given.
According to Minister of Works Julian Francis, the Ginger Village road is a very frustrating exercise.
“It does not directly fall under my ministry, the chief engineer has suzerainty over it, but it is funded by World Bank Money, and there are conditions that have been laid down before there can be a disbursement of the money”.
“Dipcon has been awarded that contract since September 2016, it’s awarded to them, but there are land matters, we had to acquire land, and under the World Bank rules all lands that are acquired, there has to be proof that government has paid for those properties”.
Recently the Government acquired 1.64 Acres of land at Belmont to which notices were placed in various media outlets.
Francis stated that if the government is to acquire lands, they put notices in the paper, and two warnings are sufficient to obtain a piece of land.
“So we put the notice out, so persons who have an interest in this land, because the land automatically becomes the government own, but the announcement goes out, we try to find the owners, but sometimes you just can’t”.
The Minister said on proof of ownership the government would pay the owner the value of the land.
“There are persons in this country who own lands through generations, and none of the generation has a title deed”.
In that regard, Minister Francis said persons now have to administrate for the lands, a long process, and then present to the government that legal title.
Francis said this is where the hold up is on the Ginger Village road project.