Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal says a team from his ministry will visit the Parika Sea Dam next month to advise squatters there on how they can find suitable housing.
The Minister’s statement follows a report in the Sunday Stabroek of December 25th on the circumstances of squatters on the sea dam. Some said that their families had been there for 40 years.
In a telephone interview with Stabroek News on Wednesday, Croal pointed out that the area being occupied by the squatters is sea defence reserve. He asserted that the sea defence must be maintained. “It’s about doing the right thing, they can apply for house lots. There is a regional office in Region Three [where] they can visit the office. We cannot regularize the sea defence.”