Hundreds of families who have been assigned residential house lots in Phase 4, Amelia’s Ward, Linden, are being prevented from occupying their lands, as a handful of squatters remain defiant against all warnings from the Ministry of Housing and Water – Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) and the structures may have to be demolished.
As contractors attempt to execute infrastructure works in the area, which has been earmarked for road networks, they are being met with strident opposition by a group of persons, claiming to be farmers, a release from the CHPA said today. In one instance there was a report of workers being assaulted and machinery being damaged, the release said.
During a recent visit to the area the Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Sherwyn Greaves warned that while the Ministry stands ready to work with all citizens, development will not be held up by a few.
The issue of squatting at Phase 4, Amelia’s Ward has been a longstanding one. However, in May of 2022, the Ministry after outlining development plans for the area, was forced to remove 20 structures from the area which were in the path of a road.
Twenty persons who laid claim to the structures were fully compensated, the CHPA said. In addition to this, the Ministry had engaged the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, since some of these persons claimed to have pending applications with that agency.
Following this demolition exercise and subsequent compensation, a significant amount of land clearing was done, however over recent months, the CHPA said that another group of persons have moved into the area, in some instances building new structures while others claim to own farmlands in the area.
“An assessment was done by NAREI and a decision was taken to compensate the persons for their cash crops seen on the lands. However, the persons who lay claims to the farms have no documentation for the lands”, the release said.
This situation has now stalled millions of dollars in infrastructure works from being carried out in the area, which when completed will benefit more than 300 first-time homeowners, the release said.
Greaves, during his visit to the area, also noted that the Ministry has exhausted all efforts, even as the Ministry continues to plead with persons illegally occupying lands in the area to remove.
The agency is therefore reminding persons that squatting is illegal and to desist from erecting structures in the area, as the continuation of such activities will leave the agency with no alternative but to demolish these structures.