by Abigail Kippins
Guyana Chronicle
June 17, 2001

`...the greatest tragedy in all of this is that thousands of poor people in this country who look forward to the Ministry of Housing for services so they can have shelter are being affected.' - Minister Shaik Baksh

HOUSING and Water Minister, Mr. Shaik Baksh yesterday raised suspicions over the Friday night fire that gutted the Housing Ministry complex on Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown, noting three attempts before to torch the building.

"I don't think this destruction of the building by fire is by chance because three attempts were made to destroy this building before and there is a reason why this is happening", he told a news conference.

The government's flagship housing programme under which thousands have been allocated house lots for the first time, will be set back by the fire but some key records were saved and the ministry is working on an action plan to keep the housing drive on track, Baksh reported.

Recalling the three attempts to destroy the building, the minister said a fire bomb was first thrown at the front of the building, then at the southern section facing the Botanical Gardens.

And in the third attempt, a bomb was lit and left in the washroom of the building, which resulted in minor damage, he told reporters at the GTV studio across the street from the fire site.

"...these attempts were made by forces envious of the great strides made by the Ministry of Housing to provide shelter and settlements to the population", he said.

According to Baksh, the security system at the complex, Instant Security Service, was recently "beefed up" and security arrangements doubled up. Armed guards were placed on the location.

Baksh said he learnt that the fire started in the upper flat of the building which housed the Drainage and Irrigation Department.

He hinted that the fire may have been triggered by actions of Parliamentarians of the main Opposition People's National Congress Reform (PNC/R) who had walked out of Parliament a few hours before, over the appointment of Mr. Doodnauth Singh as the new Attorney General.

He said, "...only (Friday), there was a walkout of the People's National Congress from Parliament and a statement has been issued which states, `In the circumstances, the PNC Reform, as an initial response...'. I am wondering now whether this is not a further response to the action they have taken in walking out of Parliament."

"...clearly forces are operating and they are targeting the Ministry of Housing.

"I hope this will not continue because we are working very hard to get back on stream in the shortest possible time to continue the housing drive", Baksh said.

The fire was reportedly started on the top floor and left millions of dollars in damage.

Baksh said that apart from some 500 transports lost in the fire, information kept on diskettes of the housing operations there was intact.

He said that together with other government agencies, the Deeds Registry, municipalities, the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, the Lands Commission, all of which have records and copies of records, the Ministry of Housing will be moving aggressively to reconstruct the records lost.

"The greatest damage has been done in terms of our records and it will set back the work of the ministry..."

He said that luckily for the ministry, information was secured on diskettes and kept at the home of some officials including the Systems Manager of the Land Administration Department.

He said the manager was one of the persons very careful with the records and took home a large number of discs.

Another official of the Conveyance Department also has information on diskettes on transports and land titles.

Baksh added that he yesterday morning convened a meeting with the top managers of the ministry and it was decided that they will be working over the weekend to set up an action plan so that in a short time they will be able to recommence the "very proactive work the ministry is doing in housing the nation".

At least 120 persons of the Housing Ministry are temporarily out of jobs, he reported.

However, hundreds of others working in other offices housed in that building, the Ministry of Labour's Industrial Relations section; Empowerment - Recruitment and Replacement; Occupational Health and Safety; Drainage and Irrigation; the Board of Industrial Training; Hydraulics, among others, are also affected since those offices were also destroyed.

Baksh's office and that of Permanent Secretary, Ms. Claudette Moore were on the bottom floor.

The Chronicle understands that Minister of Labour, Dr. Dale Bisnauth, who is currently housed in the Ministry of Human Services on Water Street, was due to move into the Homestretch Avenue building soon.

As the fire swept through the building, guards managed to save some vehicles which were parked in the compound.

Mr. Andre King managed to save six, officials said.

One vehicle was destroyed and two others damaged.

Baksh said a building at the southern side of the destroyed building, in which records and house lot allocation letters are stored, was saved.

He said that about 30 computers were also destroyed, adding this was a great loss since the ministry was computerising the records of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) through the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) low income settlement programme.

"That will indeed set us back in terms of our efforts to put good management in place...", Baksh stressed.

He said the public should also be informed that the ministry has records of payment for lands and other information and will ensure that there is no "lawlessness" in the housing schemes and settlements.

As such he said officials of the ministry will be visiting the locations to ensure these are intact.

CH&PA Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Myrna Pitt added that an action plan is already in the making to revive the operations of the ministry.

She said a strategy session with the key managers of the agency was convened and during the weekend they will be working out an action plan on how to rise above the temporary setback.

She further assured allottees that the ministry has records which will be reconstructed in a short time.

CH&PA staff must report to the old work site on Monday at 08:00 hrs for further instructions.

Baksh said officials are also looking for a building to temporarily house the ministry. The location is yet to be decided on.

The general public will be informed through the media of the ministry's operations, Baksh said, noting "...the greatest tragedy in all of this is that thousands of poor people in this country who look forward to the Ministry of Housing for services so they can have shelter are being affected."

"This is my greatest concern and I want to alleviate the fears of those persons..."

PPP/C `deeply disturbed' at fire

THE governing People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) yesterday said it "is deeply disturbed" at the Friday night fire that destroyed the Ministry of Housing complex on Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown.

In a statement, it said there was evidence "that there are those who are bent on creating a charged political environment."

"They have deliberately set out to prevent Guyana from making progress in overcoming the economic and infrastructural (challenges) and resulting poverty that were the consequence of the PNC's mismanagement throughout the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's", it charged.

"We are not unaware that the specific burning of the Ministry of Housing occurred just a few hours after the PNC/R walked out of Parliament in protest at the appointment of Mr. Doodnauth Singh, S.C. as Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs.

"We also note that the fire followed closely the release of a PNC/R press statement that the walkout of Parliament was only an `initial' response to the appointment of Mr. Singh", it said.

The PPP/C said it "would like to know what are the other actions that the PNC/R proposes to take."

According to the alliance, groups of persons were at the scene of the fire chanting "Slow fire", "More fire" and wondered whether "slow fire, more fire" was still a PNC/R strategy.

The terms have been used by the main Opposition party to describe its approach to the PPP/C Government.

The people of Guyana have again suffered and will have to bear the loss of yet another key state infrastructure, the PPP/C said, and urged "a comprehensive investigation" into the burning of the Ministry of Housing and Water building that also housed the Department of Labour, the National Drainage and Irrigation Board and the Empowerment Office.

The fire Friday night was the fourth devastating blaze since the March 19 elections which returned the PPP/C to office.

Almost a block of stores and offices on Regent and Robb streets was destroyed by fire amid anti-government protests in April in Georgetown and the former Guyana Refrigerators Limited building on Water Street, also in Georgetown, was gutted shortly after.

An attempt was also made to torch the historic St. George's Cathedral and fire last month destroyed the headquarters of the Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary (MMA) agricultural development scheme at Onverwagt, West Berbice.

The PPP/C said the government has made impressive progress particularly in the social sector.

This has led to an improvement in the standard of living of all Guyanese and provided promise for Guyana to lift itself out of poverty, it said.

"The PNC instigated post-election violence and destruction of important infrastructure can only impede our progress", it added.