By Newman Anthony Levey in Bo
The Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) has demolished two buildings owned by Lebanese businessman Husain Jaward. It comes after the Authority said the buildings were “illegally” erected in their right of way.
An excavator moved in on Sunday morning to demolish the buildings.
“Management advised him and wrote to him in August to stop the construction but he proceeded with it. In November, we wrote to him again about the same issue. And the same building project came up in the PROSEC and DiSEC meetings,” Ing. Bendu said.
In an interview with Politico, Jaward said he was devastated by the authority’s decision to demolish his structure.
"I don't know why they demolished my buildings. I am a very peaceful man. A letter was given to me on the 12th of this month [February] by SLRA, giving me two days to demolish or they would demolish it whiles I pay the cost. So, on the 15 [February], I sent my workers to demolish. So, on the 16 [February], they brought an excavator and demolished my buildings”, said Jaward.
“I took a loan to construct the buildings that were demolished” he lamented.
Politico understands that members of the Lebanese Committee in Bo have also expressed concern to the SLRA on how one of their own was treated.
Residents who were present praised the move and urged the SLRA to do the same with others in the same category. SLRA officials say they will not tolerate the erection of any new structures henceforth in their right of way.
Residents also expressed concern over why a third building in the same area, also owned by Jaward was not demolished.
They said they had also complained for years that the third structure, in swampy area, blocked the water way leaving their homes vulnerable to floods during the rainy season.
Mariama Koroma, a resident, said: “We have been doing our garden work in different swamps but since Hussain came around, I left my garden work and when we saw the excavator demolishing his building we were a little bit happy. Only to realize that it was the building at the main road and not the one in the swamp which the community has been complaining about”.
Regional Engineer, Francis Bendu told Politico that since the building had been erected in the area, houses close to it had been flooded during the rains.
He however said that they couldn’t demolish the third building because it was not in their right of way and fell within the mandate of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Residents in the area said the businessman was now building an extension which could possibly cause more damage.
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