Displaced farmers of Buxton yesterday shunned Police Headquarters, Eve Leary where a desk was set up to look into compensation for farms destroyed during the ongoing bush clearing exercise aback of several East Coast Demerara villages.
And Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon has said that there is a likelihood that once the access dams to the Buxton/ Friendship backlands are cleared in a sustainable manner the farmers may be allowed to plant again sometime in the future. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture is expected to meet with affected farmers from all of the villages which would be targeted from today Luncheon announced, noting that matters relating to the future use of these backlands would be addressed at the meeting.
The meeting is set for 10.30 am at the Buxton Community High School, East Coast Demerara.
Over 300 cash crop and sugar cane farmers of Buxton would be affected by the exercise, aimed at exposing criminals who the security forces said used the dense vegetation aback of these villages to hide after committing acts of violence. The joint services commenced clearing the vegetation on Monday, using three Caterpillar bulldozers, but residents have objected and PNCR Leader Robert Corbin wrote President Bharrat Jagdeo on Tuesday urging him to rethink the plan and for his administration to provide details on proposed compensation for the affected farmers. Police subsequently issued a statement on Tuesday night inviting farmers operating in the Buxton backlands to visit the Police Headquarters, Eve Leary as of yesterday to make claims for compensation. According to the police statement all persons who were engaged in farming in the affected area and were desirous of making claims for compensation were invited to visit Police Headquarters to meet with the Police Public Relations and Press Officer, Ivelaw Whittaker, commencing 10 am.
However, Whittaker told Stabroek News yesterday afternoon that no one showed up at Eve Leary for the entire day. PNCR-1G, Member of Parliament responsible for Region Four, Ernest Elliot told Stabroek News that most of the affected residents had serious reservations about going to the police he said because of this his party had collected the necessary information with regard ownership of the farmlands and the value of the damaged crops. He said the party would be presenting this information to the relevant agencies when the time arises. Observers have criticized the administration’s move to have the police handle the compensation claims noting that the ministries of Agriculture and Human Services would have been better choices. Luncheon was asked yesterday to explain the motive behind the compensation desk being set up at Eve Leary and he said it was because the joint services were the ones who had been dealing with the farmers in the Buxton backlands. He told a news conference at the Office of the President that the involvement of the joint services is because of their immediacy. “They are there
