Fishy business in Barbuda Fisheries Complex saga

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There’s a twist in the Barbudans versus police saga as it relates to the use of the Barbuda Fisheries Complex currently occupied by lawmen whose station was destroyed by Hurricane Irma last September.
The row has been ongoing for over a week. And, Barbudans were promised just yesterday that they will get their wish to have the police station cease operations from out of the Barbuda Fisheries Complex so fishermen could work there now that it is open season for lobster fishing.
The twist to the situation came to light late last night in the Cabinet notes from Chief of Staff Lionel “Max” Hurst.
He says the building is not fit for use for the purpose for which it was build.
Cabinet says this is according to a report from the afisheries Division.
See the full Cabinet note below.
“The Cabinet discussed the situation in Barbuda spawned by an unlawful taking of the keys which open the panel to turn on both water and electricity, in the Fisheries Complex Building. The special fuse which would allow the power to flow in the building was also unlawfully removed. Although additional police personnel were dispatched to Barbuda, the Cabinet was informed that there has been no confrontation between the police and the Barbudans. The law enforcement personnel have been sent to keep the peace and to safeguard government’s property on the sister isle.
The Fisheries Officer who has responsibility to manage the Barbuda Fisheries Complex, a relative of the representative, has denied knowledge of the whereabouts of the keys and the fuse.
In the discussion, the Minister of Barbuda Affairs made reference to the 1976 Barbuda Local Government Act (CAP 44, Part 5, Section: 18.1.) and the dubious authority which it confers on the Barbuda Council, over a portfolio of interests. The Cabinet was also made aware of the agreement which resulted in the construction of the Barbuda Fisheries Complex. The supremacy of the Central Government over the
Barbuda Council in both the law and the agreement was made clear.
A report on the condition of the Fisheries Complex, dated April 30, 2018, and written by the Deputy Chief Fisheries Officer, paints a picture of a non-functional complex that no longer meets the standards required for it to be used by fishermen. The grounds have lost the fence which, before Hurricane Irma last September, kept wandering donkeys, horses, dogs and other quadrupeds away from the sanitised complex.
That fence is to be replaced immediately by an expenditure from the Central Government. The presence of harmful rodents, insects and flies within the complex, as well as foul smells emanating from non-functioning freezers, and unclean potable water in two cisterns adjacent to the walls of the building, require thousands of dollars of repair work before the complex can be returned to a functioning state. Dust and dirt are everywhere.
The Cabinet called on the leadership in Barbuda to cease and desist from the confrontational approach it has adopted in the development process, and to cooperate for the future of a Barbuda capable of generating jobs and wealth for the Barbudan people.”

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