Residents of Success are now calling for the removal of squatters from the area, alleging that some of them are disturbing the peace and terrorising them with threats among other things.
Zaman Shaw, chairman of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) met with East Coast Demerara residents yesterday following their complaints.
The government has threatened to have hundreds of the squatters removed but talks are ongoing between the two sides.
Shaw when contacted yesterday, confirmed the meeting with the residents explaining that his councillor in the area contacted him as a result of the residents requesting a meeting. However, this is not the first time that they have complained about the squatters. According to Shaw, they had spoken with the NDC in this regard on prior occasions.
The chairman said that residents complained of persons making threats to them, of seeing persons smoking marijuana within the vicinity of their residences, and trespassing by parking their vehicles on the residents’ bridges, blocking off the entrances to their homes. Shaw relayed that the residents are feeling unsafe and are calling for measures to be taken.
Shaw noted that from the time persons began squatting in the area, the residents contacted the Ministry of Housing. A few days later, the minister himself, Collin Croal, along with Shaw and his deputy, visited the squatters informing them that the land belonged to NICIL and therefore they could not settle there. Another visit to the squatting area would follow, according to Shaw, along with the minister, the CEO and chairman of NICIL.
“Again, we met with all the squatters on the ground to reiterate the government’s ‘no tolerance policy for squatting’. There was a subsequent meeting held at CHPA (Central Housing and Planning Authority) which we were part of that saw the … initiative at the school in Chateau Margot [which] created an avenue for persons… to be registered. Those were things that the NDC were a part of and helped to initiate. We at the NDC are still of the view that we cannot condone the squatting,” said Shaw.
He further stated that the NDC supports the government’s “No tolerance policy” towards squatting and while the need for housing is recognised, he does not believe that everyone who is squatting is in dire need of housing. He added that the NDC and the MoH has got to be fair and persons need to do the right thing, which is making an application to the ministry for housing.
“The ministry has made it very clear that they are working to clear the backlog and their actions is indicating that they are taking the [necessary steps] to do so. Before today, I’ve had several persons complain about the squatters at meetings. It is generally uncomfortable for the residents of Success. I live [several] villages away and sometimes I’m at my home and visited by some persons, because I’m chairman, they just show up wanting to engage and wanting me to assist them by legalizing their actions. So if I am feeling that discomfort living [several] villages away from Success, you can only imagine the level of discomfort felt by the residents living there,” Shaw explained.
