One day after seven houses were demolished by the Ministry of Housing and Water at the Mocha squatting area, some families are now counting their losses.
Stabroek News visited the area and observed the scene where damaged beds, kitchen utensils and other household items were scattered at the area. The household items could not be retrieved because of the damage they sustained.
Anita Beaton, one of the squatters who was arrested on Thursday was released from police custody and is counting her losses since she wasn’t given the opportunity to remove any items from her wholesale shop. Beverages and other items from the shop were destroyed while livestock could be seen wandering the area.
After a month-long standoff over the government’s appeal for Mocha Arcadia squatters to make way for a road, it all ended on Thursday with seven houses being torn down leaving 32 persons homeless.
Some of the squatters have accepted the ministry’s offer while others are indecisive about the situation.
Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, on Thursday explained in a Facebook video that offers were presented to the squatters for relocation. Also included were valuation and compensation for existing properties, house lots offered in Farm and Herstelling Village, and a move-in-ready house deal and farmlands for livestock farming. President Irfaan Ali on Thursday evening in a live video explained that the offers are still open to the remaining squatters.
According to the ministry, the squatters were in the path of the four-lane highway road project.
Meanwhile, a team of Officers from the Ministry of Education yesterday visited the Cane View/Mocha community to engage the affected parents and students with a view of ensuring that the children attend school.
The team comprised of officers from the Ministry’s Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) Unit and the Welfare Unit of the Department of Education – Region Four. The team was led by Assistant Chief Education Officer (HFLE), Carol Benn. According to Benn her team was able to engage 16 children from the seven households and will work to ensure that they continue to receive an education, and where frequent absences were noted, that the parties collaborate to end that, a release from the ministry said.
The team will go back tomorrow to take in supplies so that all children could attend school on Monday.
