Commissioner of Lands Responds to Village Councils’ Concerns

Wilbert Vallejos

Still on the matter of land…over the past months, village councils across the country have been crying out that U.D.P. standard bearers and area representatives have been taking their land and parceling it off to their supporters.  In majority of the cases, the village council is ignored and its members disrespected. The Village Council Act states that the village councils shall be consulted by the Ministry of Lands when issuing out lands in a village. Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, Wilbert Vallejos says that it is difficult for village councils to claim lands when their borders are not defined. 

Wilbert Vallejos, Commissioner of Lands and Surveys

“You need to understand there are not properly defined boundaries of almost all the villages in the country except for Santa Clara in the Corozal District and Western Paradise in the Belize District. Every other community in this country does not have a boundary. So it is very difficult for any council to say that this is my jurisdiction in terms of council. That is a starter. The department makes applications, recommendations but noting stops the village councils from making their recommendations if they are in agreement or disagreement with an applications being done.”