The issue is, how can the Court decide, there is NO SERIOUS ISSUE to be heard? The government only comes into play because they were the acquirers, and a politician, Dale Marshall, spoke to the matter. When this story broke in March, I fully expected a court challenge. The news it has been declined is beyond belief. It is one thing to hear the case and have a result, another entirely to find “no serious issue to be tried”.
It is fair to disclose our hand on the subject of Miss Ram. The way she has done business in Barbados over the years does not recommend her to this blogmaster. She has generously donated to both major political parties i.e. BLP and DLP. Her training as a lawyer allowed her to grease the system for the benefit of all.
However it will not prevent the BU household from creating blog space to invite opinions on the matter at hand. Government has moved full steam ahead to acquire the property known as Liquidation Centre owned by Ms Ram on Lower Bay Street to facilitate the construction of the Hyatt Hotel.
For years she has operated businesses in Barbados with questionable working working conditions. Hundreds of words can be posted about Furniture Limited. There is an instant in 2012 it failed a health inspection and was forced to suspend operations.
For years Ms Ram was allowed by authorities to operate a hardware cum retail Store on Lower Broad Street. It was a common sight to observe forklifts, 10 wheelers and other heavy duty vehicles loading and offloading items to support the business. The fact that it was an inconvenience to pedestrians and vehicular traffic in the area seemed inconsequential.
The preamble notwithstanding it is important government treats with citizens fairly. The issue at hand is that government and Ms Ram have been unable to reach an agreement on a price for the property where the Liquidation Centre is located. The inability of the parties to reach agreement has prevented the mobilization of the Hyatt project. She sought injunctive relief from the High Court last weekend and to quote a local press report:
In response, the owners sought injunctive relief through the High Court, which dismissed the application on the basis that there was no serious issue to be tried. The company then sought a stay of execution, which the court also rejected.
Some are arguing that government has no bone in the fight between Ms Ram and the Hyatt developer. The Land Acquisition Act Section 5 (1) 3 is very clear:
Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prevent the acquisitions of lands for public purposes by private treaty.
However the other side to the debate is that the Lower Bay Street area has been included in government’s redevelopment plan and others businesses previously located on the strip north of the Liquidation Centre have vacated.
As it stands the police and government have taken control of the property. The country waits to see if the warehouse will be razed or whether Ms Ram will do what she has been adept at through then years; litigation.
#karma
Lies ! Lies and more dam lies this govt cant help itself
HOMEPAGEBUSINESS
A SLIDERBUSINESSLOCAL NEWS
Heritage body: ‘developers misled us’
Peter Stevens
The Government’s advisor on the preservation of places of historic, architectural and archaeological interest has withdrawn support for construction of the Hyatt Hotel Resort based on its latest design.
An upset President of the Barbados National Trust (BNT) Peter Stevens is accusing the developers of misleading the trust into believing that once additional land space was acquired by Government the height and overall scale of the hotel would be reduced.
Stevens said the trust had therefore agreed to the construction of the revised Hyatt based on those objectives, only now to find his organisation had been “railroaded”.
He said the BNT, which also advises Government on places of ecological importance or natural beauty, is also retracting an earlier statement of support for the demolition of the Liquidation Centre – a listed building – to provide an additional 30,000 square feet of land.
“The trust now feels we have been in a sense, railroaded into believing this was going to produce a lower height. Instead, the main structure, the bulk of it has been broken into four towers. One of those towers is taller than the previous Centric Hyatt,
No developer can override govt decision or any other relevant authority associated with govt to build without govt approval
Understood now that Mark would be thrown under the bus
However govt knew of all the plans and could have taken whatever steps to revised the plans or continue with the first agreed plan between developer. Govt and BNT
Govt contiunes to blow smoke in the faces of people
Was not the Barbados National Trust informed of the underground structure and yet it was demolished.
Perhaps they should talk taking themselves seriously and see themselves as a useful tool/rubber stamp to be used or ignored as wanted
Perhaps they should stop taking themselves seriously and see themselves as a useful tool/rubber stamp to be used or ignored as wanted
Only last week govt ploy was to throw Emera under the bus for the energy melt down
Now planning to sell the LESC to some unknown entity for the Ross University expansion
I suspect that this govt also has plans to get rid of any thing of value connected to the Dlp
Folks have been warned many times over that Mia is a dictator and all signs have been pointing in that direction
Just take memories back to May when her first initiative was to change the Constitution in favour of friends along with the defaults which started with taking of pensioners funds
The beat goes on but bear in mind wunna wanted change
Interesting times ahead
Barbados yuh come from but this is yuh barbados yuh dont know
Maloney was at pain to point out at the Town Hall meeting the project has not been approved as yet.
Temper, temper.
In the video, is that the fella whose mummy was killed by his daddy?
David it might sooner rather than later u having to faced a reality that Mia is a mater manipulative conniving dictator
Say what u may to defend this govt actions
Truth unlike milk does not sour
The Truth lies within the statements of the BNT official whose comments points to a govt who would lie and coverup by any means necessary to get what they want
Now Mrs.Ram would know the truth and all the power players behind the acquisition of the liquidation
All now which makes for a big belly of laughter and a comedy show worthy of a Broadway play with Mia role as one of being Mia the Scroog
You suffer from miaphobia.
@ David November 29, 2019 7:32 AM
“Maloney was at pain to point out at the Town Hall meeting the project has not been approved as yet.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Since this is the case why did the MoT recently get up in Parliament and confirmed a construction start date of February 2020?
This is why politicians are viewed with such disdain and distrust.
What can you expect from the average worker when these are the examples they are shown?
You blogmaster ought to be questioning the source of finance for such a gargantuan project which must be fed from a massive drain on foreign exchange?
Which local lending institution- many of them foreign-owned and about to exit the commercial banking market- would take the massively high risk(s) associated with this Babel-like project plagued with controversy even from its inchoate design phase?
Who is paying for all these consultancy (and finders) fees? The BTII?
Who or what is prepared to put an end to this ‘towering’ madness?
Would the delisting of Bridgetown as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO drive the nail in the coffin using the excuse that the government has consistently refused to maintain the rundown place to standards satisfactory to the UNESCO monitoring committee?
I have said time and time again that the Hyatt would not be constructed
The moment Mia opened her mouth talking about a different design the tea leaves began to fall
Hyatt design is an official brand worldly used
No amount of tinkering would be sufficient and enough for Hyatt to agree to a different model
Reason why Maloney and govt tried fooling the people with talk of Ziva and a construction for next year
Mia is in desperation mode and would say and do whatever it takes to fool the masses that govt had hit the ground running
Now the truth is coming out BNT is angry the liquidation centre which provided jobs is no more and govt is left looking like monkey handling gun
@Miller
At this point when the project start; if it starts is the more important question.
David doesnt these comments make u feel uneasy about this govt plans for the country
Mia feet has finally hit the ground covered in dirty tricks
—–””—–”’
He said the BNT, which also advises Government on places of ecological importance or natural beauty, is also retracting an earlier statement of support for the demolition of the Liquidation Centre – a listed building – to provide an additional 30,000 square feet of land.
RE: “Just take memories back to May when her first initiative was to change the Constitution in favour of friends along with the defaults which started with taking of pensioners funds.”
Are there any significant differences between what you did to pave the way for Marston Gibson to be apointed Chief Justice?
RE: “Now the truth is coming out BNT is angry the liquidation centre which provided jobs is no more and govt is left looking like monkey handling gun.”
Could you please indicate when any spokesperson from the BNT made the comment as outlined in your above comment?
RE: “Say what u may to defend this govt actions.”
Aren’t you being a bit hypocritical for accusing David BU of saying things to defend this current administration, when you spent the ENTIRE period between January 15, 2008 and May 24, 2018, DEGFENDING the previous DLP administration’s actions, including those that could not be reasonably defended?
RE: “The Truth lies within the statements of the BNT official whose comments points to a govt who would lie and coverup by any means necessary to get what they want.”
Could you please indicate where in the BNT’s statement could be used to substantiate your above comment?
You need to stop presenting “straw man arguments
I was in Asia during an earlier part of the year.
I was at one of those time shares deals.
One of the brochures the salesmen showed us had a proposed Hilton in Barbados.
I will bet that when all the talk is done, a Hilton will be built here
Or they can build a couple condos for the Ghana nurses
Scotiabank reached deal to sell its operations in the British Virgin Islands to Republic Bank
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/scotiabank-announces-the-sale-of-its-operations-in-the-british-virgin-islands-to-republic-bank-1028724959
i hold no brief for Mrs Ram. She is on record as supporting the construction of Hyatt one hundred per cent and describing opposition to the project as “nonsense” but these previous comments on Barbados Underground is an indication of what can come back to haunt us when we sit idly by and accept certain questionable decisions without dissent. is in her case aclassic example of “today for you, tomorrow for me’
Ping Pong
October 21, 2011 10:08 AM
In the last week, newspapers report that the government has made two assaults on the concept of the citizen’s right to property. The first assault was the attempt to pass the Antiquities Bill and the second, the declaration to compulsory acquire the land of one person so as to benefit another citizen. The situation with the Antiquities Bill is extremely disturbing. The Senate raised many cogent questions about the bill which were accepted by the Government senators. It strikes me odd that Minister Lashley, who is an attorney, could not recognise the constitutional issues raised by Senator Newton and neither could any of the other 29 MP’s (i.e.both BLP and DLP) when the bill was passed in the lower house. That the bill (in identical form) was first presented by the previous BLP administration is testimony to the lack of any philosophical mooring by BOTH political parties to defend and act in accordance with the Constitution or any other publicly stated set of values in the interest of the common good other than expediency,appeal to the lowest denominator and laziness.
To reinforce my disquiet, today’s newspapers report that the Government intends to compulsory acquire part of the property of one individual to make available to another private interest. This is an unsettling use of the State’s power to compulsory acquire property. To my knowledge, such power has been exercised to the direct benefit of the public i.e to allow the building of a school, heath centre, police station, roads, public housing etc. That this power is now to be exercised to the benefit of a privately operated company is a most curious development.
However, laudable the intentions, the words “thin edge of the wedge” comes to mind.
LikeLike
millertheanunnaki
October 21, 2011 11:14 AM
@ Ping Pong:
“It strikes me odd that Minister Lashley, who is an attorney, could not recognise the constitutional issues raised by Senator Newton and neither could any of the other 29 MP’s (i.e.both BLP and DLP) when the bill was passed in the lower house.”
Your statement is not entirely true! If you had listened carefully to the debates you would heard Ms M.A. Mottley in her contribution raising concerns about the constitutional implications of the bill in its current reading. She also expressed concern about the “mechanics” of certain aspect of the legislation. Queries were raised about the storage and safe custody of the acquired relics and the human and technical resources required to ensure the successful implementation of the provisions and regulations of the legislation.
LikeLike
Caswell Franklyn
October 21, 2011 11:48 AM
David
The comment of Ping Pong at 10: 08 AM is important enough to be a separate Post. I would hate to see the matters raised lost in the NIS post.
https://www.facebook.com/SupportMiaMottley/videos/2495994263783167/
So what was the purpose of all this long talk
What i find in AG Marshall comments if all that is said is true
That after so many years of being in business govt failed in its diligence to cite all these problems found in the Liquidation centre
Rats and electrical problems and other dangers connected to building would have been ongoing for a number of years
It seems now that govt is being forced to go back to the table they have made a last minute dash to strengthen their hand with another stealth approach
If what AG say is true it also shows that govt agencies over the past years either lied of failed to do proper inspection of the building
Now a question which needs to be asked of those who would have done a yearly inspection of the building why were these problems never investigated over the years with sufficient haste and concern for the employees well being
AG comments opened a hornets nest of inefficiencies and effective lack of govt control which needs to be thoroughly investigated
Do we blame Miss Ram for the state of liquidation centre or the Barbadians who shop there.
https://www.facebook.com/marvalashley/videos/10156853314447883/
The answer lies with documents or reports which gave the liqiudation centre the green light to operate
The attorney for Ram can request such documetation or reports as far as five years to find the truth of what the AG commented
The bottom line now is on govt to show sufficient proof as to how long these infractions were occuring
Yesterday media report by AG was another way to strengthen his hand
More convincing proof is needed to say that that building had these infractions for a longer period of time
If ( so) questions needs to be asked as to why the liquidation centre was allowed to operate under such dangerous conditions
AG now u opened your mouth you have your work cut out for you
Paper trails can give answers to the truthfulness of the AG comments
Actually the question to be answered is why your administration for reasonwr know looked the other way. You political hacks make people sick.
@ Mariposa December 4, 2019 6:21 AM
“Now a question which needs to be asked of those who would have done a yearly inspection of the building why were these problems never investigated over the years with sufficient haste and concern for the employees well being
AG comments opened a hornets nest of inefficiencies and effective lack of govt control which needs to be thoroughly investigated”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ms Many pussies, which one of your ‘yellow’ informants wrote the above ‘factual-to-the-bone’ piece of propaganda for your BU publication?
Certainly not that schizo “ac”?
There is only one missing ‘fact’ from your listing of perfect ‘Incompetence’ practiced by (a) government totally unfit for purpose when its comes to enforcing the laws and regulations to protect the health and safety of the public.
Did this state of affairs exist at the same rat pen for a “Liquidation Centre” during the period January 2008 to May 2018?
Why didn’t the various ‘competent’ Ministers of Health during that same period call in the pied piper to liquidate both the dirty rats and their smelly breeders?
Now where would the evacuated rat population sleep now? Would they now migrate to the penthouses in the abandoned NIS building on Fairchild Street much closer to an easier source of free food as identified by Artax in a recent thread?
Mariposa
RE: “More convincing proof is needed to say that that building had these infractions for a longer period of time. If ( so) questions needs to be asked as to why the liquidation centre was allowed to operate under such dangerous conditions.”
Do you realize this spans over successive BLP and DLP administrations?
I’m sure you’re aware the Merchandanis have been “generous benefactors” to the BLP and DLP.
RE: “AG now u opened your mouth you have your work cut out for you.”
Could you please explain the above comment…… without your usual metaphors, generalized statements and political rhetoric?
Also a question which ought to be asked of AG
During the acquisition process was the external and internal building inspected ( if so where these problems/ violations noted and a notice given to Mrs. Ram to correct the problems within a set period of time
Also if Mrs Ram did not comply why did the govt not send her notification on those grounds to condemn the building
Once again this govt has given more reason not to believe anything they say but willing to undermine the law for their own interest
Who actually shopped at that centre? Crop Over is not far off and some enterprising calypsonian should be working on the lyrics to a new song, time for an update to Chicken and Rum lets call it Rodents and Rum.
@Sargeant
Good comment, a recent sale by that establishment attracted a large crowd.
Go figure!
@ The WURA-WAR-on-U December 4, 2019 9:21 AM
“Fire Service also found multiple fire hazards and recommended the public not be allowed inside for any reason while the Water Authority discovered several illegal connections to the water mains there.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
These ‘alleged’ illegal connections to the water mains are in themselves blatant violations of the law governing the operations of the same Barbados Water Authority.
We shall see if this will be another case of having laws for “Two Barbadoes”.
Will the perpetrator(s) of these alleged illegal connections be prosecuted as required by the law and made to pay for the ‘estimated’ non-revenue water gone down into Carlisle Bay or would there be another cover-up and avoidance of legal proceedings and the write off an imaginary debt like the millions in VAT collected but not paid over?
The situation with the illegal connections lies squarely in the bucket of the management of the BWA.
How could such a large commercial outlet be allowed to operate for so long a period without the ‘collusive’ knowledge of the BWA?
Where was the water to flush toilets coming from if not from the buckets of sea water drawn by the modern-day store slaves from the fountain of kickbacks and corruption called the Carlisle bay aquifer?
PS: Was there also illegal connections to the Bridgetown Sewerage System for which the business was never billed?
If she still has a warehoiuse in Oldbury, St. Philip they need to check that for fire hazards and rodents also. That was a mess. A friend of my son had a birthday outing at the “hotel” she had there also in Oldbury and we had to leave without eating because we saw a mouse in the food service area. The workers said it was not unusual.
The store down Princess Alice Highway was also a mess. This woman is a mess.
Does Mariposa still think we should mourn the loss of the jobs or should we celebrate the liberation of the enslaved minds that worked there?
The woman has no shame. Several illegal water connections at various locations, it appears. The government better make her pay for them. She also has an outstanding bill in the hundreds of thousands of dollars that the Court gave her time to pay.
The issue of the illegal water connection is funny but not in a Ha Ha way. After the water was cut off what did the authorities do? Were they waiting to see what would happen to a place with employees who possibly couldn’t go to the bathroom, I wouldn’t even mention the lunch room (is there a lunch room?) but cheeze on bread. A place only waiting for Mrs. O”Reilly’s cow ( no sprinklers) to kick over a smut lamp to send the whole of Bridgetown up in flames?
How the hell do people get away with this over such a long period? We seem to have a great many people whose expertise is looking the other way.
“Also a question which ought to be asked of AG.” During the acquisition process was the external and internal building inspected ( if so where these problems/ violations noted and a notice given to Mrs. Ram to correct the problems within a set period of time. Also if Mrs Ram did not comply why did the govt not send her notification on those grounds to condemn the building.”
Mariposa
Your above comment is utter nonsense.
Why would government and Ram go through the entire process you outlined….. on a building that is going to be demolished?
Why would Ram spend money rectifying problems/violations on a building that she knows would be subsequently demolished?
Does this make any sense to you?
First of all there is are processes and acceptable standards which must be acknowledge before govt acquisition takes place
…because it is unfair TO THE PEOPLE this ugly old racist witch and slave driver to not only be stealing water for her raggedy old filthy hotel, spent decades bribing both corrupt governents AND CIVIL SERVANTS but also STEALING WATER for her raggedy dump of a store(s) and IS NOT IN PRISON YET.
It is very clear this useless government is also only interested in locking up black people for shite….
….look at this Ram thief, not everyone can afford to bribe governments because not everyone is given the privilege of being a goddamn nasty racist minority in Barbados living on the backs of the black majority and spending years being parasites and vampires in the lives of successive generations of same.
BLP MUST NEVER BE RETURNED TO PARLIAMENT…EVER….same with DLP…they are the most evil, dirty, corrupt colonial goevernments created by UK..
Billy the Goat was right, the most stupid, docile slaves can be found in Barbados, she called them the best slaves, but we done know she is a damn useless fool herself sucking on taxpayers because she cannot stop…just look at the filthy way she left Lakes Folly and the environs after 30 damn years…none of them are fit for purpose..,,all she did was make sure the same indian/syrian minorities got wealthy off her people…in the dump of a city she left..
“The situation with the illegal connections lies squarely in the bucket of the management of the BWA.”
BWA KNOWS she is stealing water, just as the fire service located just across the street from her dump KNOWS she was operating a fire hazard, they know but they are corrupt and would sell their own asses or your ass for a song…or a dollar….then claim to be the most educated in the Caribbean…steupppss…
I have yet to meet a group of people as can be found in Barbados’ parliament and in the populi WHO ARE SO HELLBENT ON KEEPING THEMSELVES AND THEIR PEOPLE AS SLAVES for criminal minorities…and for any lowlife with a slave master mentality….it is like they are cursed…that’s the only garbage they want to see on the island….
i saw that other damn fool Sandiford-Garner on FB talking about she shops at Ram and it’s clean and the people now have no jobs…WHAT JOBS???? Bajans should never alllow that clown anywhere near the parliament again…i went into Ram’s stores once and wanted to PUKE…that is the best Garner can see for her people…another useless ass is she….
….these are the same dirty politicians go to Miami, Canada and New York to shop and pretend they are hot shit but the filth they encourage on the island for their own people should see them ALL IN PRISON….with their low crawling pretensive mentalities…
History repeated itself in 2019.
Guess poor people need somewhere to shop.
https://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/46836/health-check-furniture
@ Sargeant,
In 1978 I told a friend that Furniture Ltd. was a fire trap and should have a sprinkler system.
Fire protection is not a serious issue in Barbados.
Isnt a property assessment required to give the owner a fair market value of whether the property is to be demolished or not which will required thorough inspection of the building and land
With certainty govt knew of those problems but yet let employees worked under those dangerous conditions for more than 15 months
To hear AG belt out those. alarming conditions at the liquidation makes for wonderment
ac you have no clue what is happening here. Miss Ram owns a stock room that is a dump, she will not get top dollar for square foot which is what she wants.
What 15 months, the year i saw Ram’s filthy dump was 2005 or 6 and all her dumps were there for decades before that…until she added more dumps….anyway….
…..glad all yall getting exposed for the whole world to see and here…can’t believe in this day and age all this filthy nastiness is allowed to continue by governments who CONTINOUSLY lie to and deceive the people…and then turn up at people’s houses BEGGING FOR VOTES…., they should THROW STALE PISS ON ALL OF YOU.
https://www.facebook.com/jackie.stewart.965/videos/1185042465038624/?t=0
David are we talking about the liquidation centre or not
Did not the AG said the building had violations
My question therefore goes to you
during the acquisition process isnt it standard procedure for govt to offer a purchasing price to the buyer
Isnt it standard procedure that the buyer gives a official price to the buyer after certain requirements are made subject to inspection
What is there to know
Except that u now is beginning to figure that govt either skirt the law and give the owner a self serving assessment
Or govt knew of the infractions after a thorough inspection was done and allowed Mrs. Ram to conduct business as usual
Property inspections along with surveying of land is required for public record
@ Mariposa
Do not dance to the tune of this undemocratic government. The background noise about the unsanitary conditions and fire risk at Ms Ram’s property may all be true, and would fit in with a cultural pattern, but that is not the substantive issue. The real issue is the abuse of process by the government in obtaining the property.
Nonsense about environmental standards are post factum justifications for the government’s illegal actions. The Liquidation Centre was there during 14 years of Arthur’s rule, ten years of Thompson/Stuart and a year of Mottley. Was it inspected during that period by the health or fire departments? If so, what happened to those reports? How long ago was it we had the Tudor Street fire?
Smoke and mirrors. The Chinese man playing with chop sticks. No doubt Ms Moe’s CBC will soon do a programme saying how wonderful Hyatt will be.
I am told that Indians and Chinese are buying up Baxters Road. When are we going to shout stop?
How do you know what is nonsense? Did Miss Ram agree to the acquisition all to agreeing to payout. You really need to stop and breathe.
I remember Donville closing down that disgusting Ram place and having it cleaned and in no time at all it was filthy again…because yall know what a dirty rat she has been for decades and still allowed her to operate AGAIN…when she should have been closed down completely at that time…both governments and yardfowls could only think of her brown envelopes, but ah hope she got it all on audio.
“I am told that Indians and Chinese are buying up Baxters Road. When are we going to shout stop?”
Baxters Road has been turning into another repulsive looking dump for years, buildings falling down…horrible conditions…Billie the Goat and all the other things in the parliament left the city in a deplorable state …to rot and fall down.
It’s either get rid of it or everything will fall to the ground..that is what they all wanted, for the majority population to own nothing, they are just spectators and tax generators…who aare told to go buy inferior quality goods from crooks and sometimes the crooks come out themselves to tell the population to buy bajan, but it is a notorious Trini Syrian telling them that…
David did u see the agrements
All know that this govt since May t govt has been using stealth undemocratic measures to gain their required outcome
The govt minister yesterday stated in his PR comments that the Liquidation centre was unsuitable for business because of violations
My question still stands to govt
When did u know
If there was a thorough inspection done to the property during the acquisition process as required by law and for public record
If govt knowning of these violations allowed the liquidation centre to remain opened for business
The long short lays like a double pronged fork sharpened at both ends
For in the eventuality govt knew within the acquisition process of these violations and never gave thought or concern for the well being of the employees and customer
It therefore serves purpose and with interest and with cause to say that this present govt only cares for self by any means necessary
Imagine in the 21st century Black people, African descendants still have such low self esteem that they are willing to accept anything and from the absolute worse types of greedy business people you can find in any dump……..if we did not witness all of this we would never beleive it..and still they insist they are so educated..