Vice Governor Sattha Thongkham said on Friday (Mar 8) that he had made an urgent request to the Rural Roads Office, Mueang Phuket District Office, and Phuket Land Office to investigate the issue regarding the alleged wrongful blocking of a public road in tambon Ratsada of Muang district, reports Bangkok Post.
The move came after around 500 people gathered in front of the fence of a private beachfront property on Thursday (Mar 7), demanding the owner open access to the beach after it has been blocked for over a decade.
Mueang Phuket district office is working with Tambon Ratsada Municipality to negotiate with the property owner to demolish the fence and open access to the beach. Then the municipality office will have to improve the condition of the road and install streetlights, Mr Sattha said.
The construction permit of the road and land ownership document will also be reviewed by all related agencies. The progress of all instructions must be reported to the province within three days, added the deputy governor.
Tambon Ratsada Mayor Nakarin Yosaengrat said he had discussed the removal of the fence with the property developer, who then requested 15 days for preparation to build new fences to prevent trespassing.
The 1,290-metre rural road was built by the now-defunct Accelerated Rural Development Department — a predecessor of the Rural Roads Department — in 1994 before it was transferred to Tambon Ratsada Municipality in 1997.
Only the first 800-metre stretch of the road is currently open to the public after the property developer erected fences covering a 64-rai plot of land. But the title deeds were issued in 1982.