Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the former Immaculee Conception School is found over a plot of State land of an extent of about 93 perches over which stands a ground plus one concrete building. The then Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology informed the then Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning on 01 December 2021 that the former Immaculee Conception School is no longer being used for educational purposes since 2017. If I may add, in fact, when I perused the letter that was sent to the Senior Chief Executive of my Ministry on 01 December 2021. One of the paragraphs of that letter, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I can read and I quote – “In light of the above, and given that the site is no longer being used by the Ministry since 2017, it would be appreciated if your Ministry can take back control of the land and ensure necessary and appropriate measures be taken accordingly”. Nothing was done ever since 2021, to make it worse, nothing was done ever since 2017. So, for all those years this school was left in a totally abandoned state. The classrooms are clearly being used by people dealing in meshed things which are totally unlawful. There is rubbish and overgrown grass. It is totally insalubre and this is in the middle of the capital city of Port Louis. So, I wonder, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, why is it that the then hon. Minister of Housing and Land, when he – if I am not mistaken very close to where they had shown some interest to obtain some Land – so, how is it that he seems to be unaware, at least in those days, of anything going on with any State land in that particular region. So, he said, but I do not believe it. So, nothing was done, the building that once housed the former Immaculee Conception School, as I said, haven for illegal activities. Now, there are two options available, one, to inform the Ministry of Local Government through City Council of Port Louis to initiate cleaning of the site and then under sections 128 and 129 of Local Government Act to make provisions for shoring up and securing the building but there is another option. The other option is to retrieve the land altogether. This was what was requested for ever since 2021 and so many years later on whilst the others were asleep at the helm. Now, we are not asleep at the helm, and we will do what needs to be done. 93 perches in the middle of capital and when we are looking for land, the elected members of that Constituency, all of them have been looking for land in order to put up projects, there we go, land is available and was sleeping there and the former Government did not bother. So, I thank the hon. Member for that question; I have given instructions already to the Senior Chief Executive of my Ministry to retrieve, to take it back and then I shall consult

65 with the hon. Members from Constituency No. 2 in order to find out together with themselves and other future, soon to be elected, members of the alliance of the Municipal Council to decide on the proper way forward to make use of that prime property. I would like to thank the hon. Member once again for having put that question because that question brought me to a document that shows that back in 1962, and if I am not mistaken, it could be, it was Mohamed, the first Minister of Housing and Lands in our family who was the one who gave the lease for that school. So, it is quite an interesting matter with history that I am dealing with it today in order to give it back its letter de gloire. Thank you very much.

Yes, one supplementary!

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir. This property, this premises is in an extreme derelict state, lying in the city of Port Louis. May I ask the hon. Minister as a matter of urgency and a short term measure, whether he could liaise with the Commissioner of Police to ensure that this premises is not being used as a drug den daily and also harbouring petty criminals on a 24/7 basis at the moment, just immediate measures for the security of the inhabitants living in the surroundings? Thank you.

I thank the hon. Member for his concern and I think that his concerns are totally called-for and very legitimate. I must therefore beg leave to table four photographs of the site in question that will show exactly the very bad state these premises are in. As in, we have already contacted the Commissioner of Police and the officers in order to do the needful. I have been speaking about this problem with my hon. colleague, the Minister of Environment, who has graciously offered his services and his help in order to clean up the site and I thank him for that. However, I am of the view and I say it again, that those premises could be used for other projects as the Constituency No. 2 has been calling for but it seems that for the past ten years, no one was listening. Thank you very much.

Yes, next question. Hon. Third Member for Mahebourg and Plaine Magnien! SHELTERED FARMING PROJECT, PLAINE MAGNIEN – BENEFICIARIES & REALLOCATION

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