Farmers displaced by government’s planned Silica City on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway will be helped with acquiring new lands.
This was the message delivered yesterday by President Irfaan Ali.
Farmers complained to the President yesterday during a meeting with communities along the highway that they were never consulted about the planned development of Silica City by the government.
One of the farmers, Sheldon Seabra said that everything they know about the project is from Social media. He disclosed that their only interaction with the government is when they received a letter from the Guyana Lands and Surveys ordering them to stop all work and relocate. He said, many of the farmers have land leases and his had just come into effect and a few days later, revoked.
“I am one of the persons affected by this project….All the information that we have gotten is basically through social media. No one from the government interacted with the persons affected by this project so now we want to know when that will take place,” Seabra said.
He told Ali that it is a matter of urgency considering that works has already begun. “We were told that we will be relocated and compensated, so we would like to know when this will begin,” he added.
According to Seabra, the excavator clearing the area for the project is just 1000 feet from his farm and they would soon be clearing his crops and destroying his pens.
Some 20 farmers are affected in the area where Seabra lives.
The President in response told Seabra that a technical team will be sent into the area to speak with the farmers who are affected. He noted that they will have to relocate but will get assistance from the government to acquire lands where they can continue farming.
The construction of 100 homes in Silica City is expected to begin by the end of the year.
With its development guided by the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of sustainable cities and communities, the government’s planned Silica City is envisioned to be a transformational solution to address climate change impacts, such as flooding from rising sea levels and complement the country’s rapid growth.
Silica City, a vision of President Irfaan Ali when he functioned as Minister of Housing and Water, is being touted as the Caribbean’s first smart and innovative city. The development of the city is projected to cost $81.7 billion. The cost includes consultancy services, identification, feasibility studies, and execution of the urban project proposals.
Of the $81.7 billion, $39.6 billion will be spent on integral infrastructure, such as lighting, road network development, construction of drainage and culverts, sidewalks, water supply, electricity networks and land preparation.
Silica City will be developed on 12,100 acres of land in the Yarrowkabra and Kuru Kuru communities along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway. The new city will be 40 kilometres from Georgetown and approximately 45 kilometres from Linden.
“Silica City is about a modern low-carbon development path that is compatible with Guyana’s commitment at CoP 26 (United Nationals Climate Change Conference 2021). Silica and Guyana’s understanding that a new modern SMART City is required given its geographic location and the rapid economic development that Guyana is witnessing,” Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water Susan Rodrigues said last year.
