A notice of violation was served to businessman George Aboud over the clearing and burning of 19 hectares of land at Las Cuevas yesterday. However, the developer remains confident this will not hinder the over $1 billion project.
T&T Guardian was told that the notice was served by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) yesterday.
EMA’s Corporate Communications manager, Mario Singh, said that over the past few days, EMA officials visited the area and were able to determine that the clearing of the land by bulldozing and burning of trees negatively affected the environment.
Singh said the developer had taken immediate steps to prevent further violations and both parties would soon be heading towards a consent agreement where strict guidelines would be laid down.
“As part of due process, the developer will be given the opportunity to come in and provide their information and data for the EMA to hear their side of the story. Nothing is fixed in stone,” Singh said.
When contacted for a comment yesterday, Aboud insisted that there was no violation as he had approvals from the EMA. He, however, said it was just a mere misunderstanding.
“The violation is for about 46 acres, which is a small piece compared to the close to 500 acres that I have there. What happened is that we did not notify them (the EMA) that we are supposed to start development. We have been doing little portions of work consecutively for the past three years,” Aboud said.
Asked if he was found to have committed any violations with regard to the Las Cuevas fishing bay or caused a threat to the fish in the area, Aboud replied, “No. It have nothing to do with the fish at the bay. We didn’t turn up dirt, didn’t dig. All that was done was cut down bamboo and we burnt it right there.”
Aboud said that he acquired the lands in Las Cuevas about 15 years ago and he would abide by and obey the restrictions set by the EMA.
Asked about his plans for the area, Aboud said his main focus would be to improve local tourism. “I plan to construct luxury homes and apartments for rent. I will also be looking for foreign partners to develop one quarter of that land which will be over $1 billion alone.”
Last week, secretary of the group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea, Gary Aboud, said that there was cause for serious concern over the bulldozing and burning of the land in Las Cuevas as it would adversely affect the Las Cuevas fishing community.