Nandlall urges local democratic organs to retain lawyers, intensify action against squatting

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall SC, is urging Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) to retain lawyers and make full use of their legal powers to tackle the growing problem of squatting and the unlawful occupation of government reserves and state lands.

Speaking on this week’s ‘Issues in the News’ programme, Nandlall said local democratic organs perform important legal functions under various pieces of legislation and should have legal counsel on retainer to provide regular advice.

“Let me appeal to the Regional Democratic Councils and the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, both of these local authority organs have wide ranging powers on the different pieces of legislation, to remove encumbrances from public reserves, government reserves, state lands, etc and you are to use those powers, serve notices, take those persons to court or use the powers to demolish as they are being erected or if you need central government help then enlist government help.

“Each of these organs should have a lawyer on retainer to get regular legal advice,” Nandlall stated.

Nandlall described squatting and the unlawful occupation of government lands as a widespread problem across Guyana, warning that the government will continue to enforce its zero-tolerance policy against the practice.

He noted that while the government operates an aggressive housing programme, citizens should access land through the proper application process rather than resort to illegal occupation. Acknowledging that there are delays in land allocations, the Attorney General said the government is committed to distributing fully developed house lots instead of undeveloped lands.

“Lands take some time to develop; our policy is if we are distributing houselots, not to distribute undeveloped lands, that is the easiest thing to do.

“It is not an overnight job, it requires investment of billions of dollars and it takes months and months to develop.”

He explained that the lands being developed are former sugar cane fields, swamp lands and other abandoned areas.

According to Nandlall, demand for land consistently exceeds supply, resulting in backlogs in some regions. However, he stressed that these delays do not justify squatting.

He also reminded citizens that squatters are not protected under the law and warned that unlawful occupation exposes individuals to significant legal risks.

“When you squat, you expose yourself to all types of perils. The rightful owner of that property, without any resort to a court, can by self-help demolish your property and eject you therefrom using reasonable physical force, and they don’t have to get a court order,” he said.

Nandlall further appealed to members of the public to refrain from occupying government reserves, noting that squatting hampers development and prevents the delivery of critical public infrastructure and services.

He maintained that the government will take firm action against illegal occupation of public lands while continuing to expand housing and land distribution programmes for eligible citizens.