Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to thank the hon. Member for this very important question which has led to some confusion in the minds not only of the then government, but of the situation between occupiers of those particular plots of lands. At one point in time, wrongfully and unlawfully, certain plots of land which were on Pas Géométriques, specifically ex-CHA houses on Pas Géométriques and some building site leases on Pas Géométriques, were sold by the government of Mauritius in breach of the State Lands Act and the Pas Géométriques Act. And, now, we end up with a situation where all those people who lived on Pas Géométriques ex-CHA and building site leases are, in fact, people who were given those plots of land in moments of difficulty, people who socially needed social protection and could not afford a home or had their homes and their abodes destroyed in cyclones, in bad weather and needed government’s support, and this is what was done many many years ago. Now what has happened is that through some blunder, part of those plots of land were sold and then all of a sudden when they realised that there is now a blunder that has been committed, they said – ‘Okay, hold one, in spite of the fact that we sent letters to all those lessees telling them we could sell; it was taken back.’ So, a part of those people now holds leases that are, in fact, not leases because they are in violation of public order and some of their neighbours hold leases and they cannot purchase. So, being given that at this stage there is no restriction of sale of land in respect of building site leases for residential purposes other than those falling within the Pas Géométriques and taking into account that your question relates specifically to the sale of coastal state land, I am going to respond therefore, following this introduction, as to what action is being taken by my Ministry to look into this problematic situation. So, we have received many requests from people such as lessees who would like to purchase state lands on Pas Géométriques ex-CHA houses, and unfortunately, they happened to be on Pas

68 Géométriques. So, in view of the explicit restriction in the law, those requests cannot be entertained at this juncture because I simply do not want to repeat blunders of the past. Accordingly, we have sought advice from the Attorney General’s Office as to whether and how those state land on Pas Géométriques could be sold. Clearly, that would require a huge policy decision on the part of my Ministry. So, I have responded to such questions under PQ B/38 and B/118 on 04 February and 04 March, respectively and I reiterate again, this is a complex matter because we have to analyse the legal aspect, the social aspect and the policy implications involved therein. I reiterate that I am very uncomfortable today when I note that you have people who hold lease/title deeds that are not even worth the paper it is written on because it has been sold in violation of two specific statutes. What shocks me even more is that those documents were registered as title deeds! So, the blunder started somewhere and continued at different échelons. So, what I have to do now is deal with two categories of citizens. One gentleman living in Pointe aux Sables, I recall, came to see me – many Members of Parliament have spoken to me –, he is a sick person. His neighbour’s property has been sold. All be it that the title deed does no really represent much. It has been resold and registered again. God knows how! Now, he wants to understand why is it that they are given the right to buy whereas he cannot and he is a sick man. Before he departs this world, he would like to transmit something to his children. So, this is precisely the difficult situation we are in. I have the difficult task, together with colleagues of Government, in finding a solution to this. We will find a solution. We will bring justice. Very often, we are called upon to clear and clean the mess left by others. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The hon. First Member for Port-Louis North and Montagne Longue! GINGER CULTIVATION – IMPORT CHALLENGES