The Ministry of Housing and Water has commenced demolition of structures at Mocha that occupy a strip of land in the path of a link being constructed for the Eccles to Great Diamond Highway on the East Bank of Demerara.
Housing and Water Minister Colin Croal told Sunday Stabroek that two of the five holdout families that were squatting have taken up offers from the ministry and yesterday moved into their new homes.
He explained that immediately after, the workers began demolishing the vacated buildings at Mocha. While Croal said they will move to demolish buildings to pave way for the construction of the road, he stressed that the ministry remains open to engage in discussions with the remaining families.
Earlier this week, he made a final plea to the remaining squatters to take up the move-in-ready home offers made by the ministry.
Croal had pointed out government’s recent offer was in no way rewarding unlawful squatting and instead he said it was providing a humanitarian solution.
“It has been a long process…we engaged the squatters and offered, with expediency, a solution. We did not just go and demolish. The first action is always engaging. Some have accepted… and we have started breaking and will continue,” Croal said in a previous report when asked for an update.
Pointing to the efforts made to remove the squatters, Croal informed that since 2008 the PPP/C had been trying to engage those living illegally along the proposed road alignment. Those efforts continued up to 2015, to no avail.
And when the Irfaan Ali administration took office in 2020 and set out its short, medium, and long-term infrastructural development agenda, the squatters were again engaged and told of plans and how their illegal living would hamper plans for hundreds of thousands that would be plying the route.
Despite this plea, some residents remained adamant about staying on the land, while noting that the government’s offers were not substantial to cover their relocation.
Roxanne Allen, who rears livestock and operates a small shop at her premises, said the compensation package offered by government does not make moving feasible for her. She stated that other families that have moved had to use the money they got from the government to complete their homes.
“I am not accepting no deal like that. They have to do better to at least allow you to float (survive) while you settle in because they done say you cannot go and operate any business. They said that is a residential area,” she stated.
The woman lamented that she has livestock which she uses to earn her livelihood and if she moves she would have to find new alternatives to survive.
“I have sheep and cow. I can’t move with that into the new area they want to give us. Why they can’t give us land in Mocha there are places here that are empty since I was a child. Why they can’t offer us that? ” Allen questioned.
The woman further stated that relocating out of the village will be difficult for her as she has to look after her mother and will require her to find a new job since she cannot depend on her livestock and small business for an income.
She stated that since the first meeting with officials from the Ministry of Housing and Water, nobody ever returned to speak with them but rather encourage them to visit the office on Brickdam.
She never went, she said, because she was looking after her mother and did not see the need to be relocated since she was told that the road will not pass where she is living but behind her.
“It is disrespectful to come and tell us we have to move when the road won’t pass here. The engineers tell us at the meeting that we have to move because the road is passing behind our houses and we will be affected by noise. I born here. I am not willing to give up this place like that to go live somewhere where I am uncomfortable,” she stressed.
Last week the Ministry of Housing and Water announced that it was offering houses in the Little Diamond Housing Scheme, also on the East Bank of Demerara, to the five remaining squatters at Mocha, while warning that their homes will be demolished if they do not remove from the path of the major road project.
According to a notice published in this newspaper by the ministry, it was prepared and has available “move-in ready single flat two-bedroom housing units” for the squatters.
“Should the last offer be rejected by these illegal squatters, the Ministry will have no other choice but to proceed with a demolition exercise,” the notice said.
The notice said the squatters were given two-week final notices from November 5 but these had all been ignored. “Every effort by the Ministry has been met with harsh, baseless and irrational resistance,” it added, while noting that like others, the squatters had been offered full compensation for their properties, a free residential house lot and a grace period for the construction of their new homes. “These offers have been rejected on all fronts,” it said.
The ministry added that more than 20 families have relocated to nearby residential areas and have built new homes through government compensation.
The notice said the government and by extension the ministry stands ready to work with all Guyanese in their best interest. “However, we will no longer stand by and allow a nation’s development to be held hostage by illegal activities of any sort,” it added, while warning of the planned demolition should its last offer be rejected.
The families have been identified as those of Joyann Alexis Ellis, Mark Gordon, Junior Ellis, Abigail Ifill, and Anneita Beaton.
The group had initially agreed to move but then, according to Croal, the issue got political.
“The Mocha issue took on a political twist… an anti-developmental twist because it seems that the opposition doesn’t want rapid growth. They encouraged the persons to not accept, without a solution. They didn’t even encourage the people to come in and engage us,” he lamented.
He said that one opposition parliamentarian has been “very confrontational” and without reason wants the squatters to remain in the location.
However, even if they do not accept the offer, the path for the road alignment will be cleared and works will begin. “We are continuing our demolition,” Croal stressed.
And while there have been many complaints by legitimate land applicants that squatters seem to attract government’s attention more than those who are waiting on approvals, the Minister said that this was not the case. “We are not rewarding squatting,” he assured.
Croal pointed out that government’s posture that no new squatting will be recognised still stands, even as he explained that his ministry was swiftly working to clear up the backlog on aged applications.
