Your Excellency, I am compelled to bring your attention the problems of land mal-administration in this country and more particularly in Brufut Yillage. Last week the department of physical planning and housing (DPP&H)announced over the radio and television that they (DPP&H)would carryout a demolition exercise over an area in Brufut which is supposed to be state land. Our peolple in Brufut have lost part of our land to the Brusubi Housing Development Project and this has not brought us any benefits whatsoever.Brusubi Housing has brought us heither electricity nor water not even to mention telephones.For the record we appreciate the Kombo Coastal project. This planned demolition exercise is merely an attempt to clear the ground for the benefit and interest "TAF CONSTRUCTION".Our people have rejected "TAF'S" proposal and offer of compensation.your secretary of state for local government and lands has steadfastly refused to meet our representatives from Brufut Village to discuss the issue.It seems that Honourable Nai Ceesay would rather defend the corporate interest of TAF Construction than care about the thousands of land less youths and the poor in Brufut. If this so-called state land was allocate to TAF,it was done without the consent of the people of Brufut and without disclosing to you and your Cabinet the true facts on the ground.The Secretary of state for Local governmet and Lands ignored or pretended that there were no developments on the ground affecting the area.Our "Kabilos" in Brufut who owned the land have for the past three years been sharing the land amongst ourselves. Why should our people in Brufut not be allowed to build and live on land that our forefathers have ploughed and tenedered for centuries?.If this land in Brufut is allocated to TAF ,our youths in Brufut will have no land to build and live on.Our youth people in Brufut will have not be able to afford this proposed"high class residential houses" by TAF.It will lead to affluence in the midst of poverty in Brufut. The policy of conceding our entire coastline to foreigners in the name of Tourism Development Area(TDA) has lost all credibility.Are Gambians not good enough tolive on the best parts of our own Country?Tourism is good for development but tourists are notoriously :fair Weather"friends.A "wrong travel advise"could turn all our tourist sights into deserted areas.Ordinary Gambians should have the option of being able to live near beach and so sholud the people of Brufut and Bijilo. Your Excellency,land administration in the country is in disarray because our officials are always self-serving.After the debacle of "Sinchu Yahi", the department of stae for lands is still determine to give more land to TAF CONSTRUCTION.TAF'S project in new Yundum is at the expense of ordinary land owners some of whom remain uncompensated.The proposal for a "high class" residential area at Brufut is not wanted by the people of Brufut. We are happy with mud houses. On purely economic point,why should the government subsidies a private individual in the person of TAF CONSTRUCTION for his so-called development project? Should TAF not buy rather than be "allocated" the land he wants for his project? No matter how TAF'S projects are dressed up, it remains, purely money making enterprise from an enterpreneur and as such TAF should be buying the lands he need at the market prices either from individual owners or from the state. Yours Excellency,it seems rich and powerful people only have to piont out the sites(land)they want and it is it allocated to them.The stink corner junction is a prime example.Ordinary Gambians have to wait for years for state Layouts and even ten,only person with influential friends are allocated plots. Last year demolition exercise was carried out in Bijilo.That fiasco has still not been solved.Carrying out a demolition exercise in Brufut at this time under the pretext of "state land" or "TDA" would really alienate the people of Brufut.Should the interest of one man in the person of TAF override the interest of thousands of ordinary villagers in Brufut? Your Excellency, in the interest of social and political stability in Brufut,i respectfully urge you to order a stop to the proposed demolition exercise and the handling of the land issue in Brufut be investigated. Respectfully Abdoukarim Sanneh Brufut ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------