BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – CHAIRMAN of the Development Control and Planning Board (DCPB), Victor Williams, is dispelling suggestions that the Board is targeting vending mother of seven, Ivy Adams.
About a month ago, Adams “set up shop” at the West Basseterre Bypass Road just at the back of the Project Strong facility. Adams was issued two letters, one on April 8 and the other on April 19, informing her that her vending there “poses a serious safety issue to the motoring public using the road. She was ordered to stop vending in that area immediately but was given until April 23 to relocate.
Adams expressed that, having been asked to relocate on three previous occasions, albeit not by the board, she feels she is being unduly targeted and is a victim of unfair treatment.
Chairman Williams, in an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, explained that Adams’ beliefs could not be farther from the truth but expressed that her operation is illegal and it is the DCPB’s responsibility to deal with the situation before it progresses out of control.
“It is an illegal operation. According to the Planning Law of 2000, the Board is cognizant of the fact that when you have a new development, especially a highway, it is illegal to establish any sort of operation along the highway. It requires planning permission. So the very activity is illegal. Let’s take it one step beyond. We have what we now regard as our local highway. On a highway there must be uninterrupted traffic. What normally happens is that wherever you have a pull-off or any verge, it is normally for emergency scenarios.
“So if you have any sort of operation taking place on a continuous basis, it cannot be regarded as an emergency…Because of the particular area, it is a very flat area, it is very easy for anyone to set up there. So the Board cannot just look at this present scenario. It has to look at what is considered as precedent. So when you allow an illegal activity to take place there, it is then very difficult at that point to stop illegal activities on the highway. So project now to the possibility of maybe five, six, possibly 10 illegal activities along highway and imagine at least one or two vehicles pulling in against each one of these to buy something or some sort of transaction. Imagine now to get back into the flow of traffic. It is the most undesirable scenarios you (would) want on any highway. So it is the Board’s obligation, responsibility to make sure that these things done begin to happen.”
Williams described himself as “a people’s person” and a “caring” individual who feels and is concerned about Adams and her situation. He however explained that the Board must execute its responsibilities.
“I am Chairman of this Board and anybody who knows Victor Williams knows that I am a people’s person. I feel for people. I have been taking care of people’s children for the last 20 years. I never target anybody. I feel for her but it’s just that if I allow it to happen, I have to look at the national picture…and I respect that fact that she has turned to the media to support her cause. People have the right to have their opinion, whether they know the law or not. Whether or not some other agency can help to put her in a position of more permanence, that’s the responsibility of another agency. The danger that I have is that if I begin to relocate people, every illegal person, each illegal scenario will then set itself up and then I would have an obligation to relocate them.
“But I feel for her. I’m not uncaring…I didn’t have to send her a letter. I could have just gone and bulldozed it because that’s the power that the Board has, but we don’t function that way. We are a caring Board. We sent her a second letter giving her time because we were asked by the Minister of Development (Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas) to be as gentle as possible with her.”
Painting a hypothetical picture, Williams suggested that should the Board shirk its responsibilities and an unfavourable and even deadly situation occurs, the Board will be made to bear the burden of the blame.
“It is better to deal with one person than to eventually have to deal with 10 or 15 or 20, and then the first thing the public would say is that the Board was not functional; the Board let this happen. Let’s us say, one of these times when all these illegal activities along the highway (are taking place)…somebody is trying to go back into the flow of traffic and there is an accident and three people died. You know who they are going to blame first? The Boar, for allowing these things to happen. So the Board has to be fair, it has to be consistent, it has to judge with candor and it has to deal with a certain level of kindness and that is what we try to do. So we are not picking on anybody.”
Adams was to have relocated or at least to have vacated that area by 9:30 on the morning of April 23. She, according to SKNVibes’ investigations, still occupies the space. Williams said he is cognizant of this and that the Board would act “in its own deliberate judgment and its own deliberate time”.
He said the Board would take action against those who are in positions similar to Adams’.
