Residents of Hill Foot, Soesdyke, whose houses were demolished on Wednesday will be relocated and offered a plot of land or a turn-key house based on their preferences through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA.)
Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), Sherwyn Greaves, met with the squatters yesterday morning at the CHPA’s Georgetown headquarters on Brickdam. Among other concerns, they discussed the ongoing dispute between the residents and property owner, Lawrence Al-Meen.
According to a CHPA release, the ongoing conflict ensued after the private landowner moved to demolish the squatters’ homes on Wednesday following a civil court ruling. The role of the police in the operation and their conduct have raised questions.
In the aftermath, the government through the CHPA is implementing a relocation and resettlement programme to ensure the families are in a safer environment. According to Greaves, each household will be offered a plot of land or a turn-key house, based on their preference.
He indicated that all the applications will be fast-tracked and urged the squatters to work with the agency. The Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) is also offering the squatters land at Long Creek. Additionally, persons have the option of remaining on the Hill Foot land and applying for prescriptive rights.
Meanwhile, McCoy further assured the squatters that the government will work with all those who are displaced. He reaffirmed that the government is in no way responsible for the eviction and urged them to ignore falsehoods spewed by the political opposition.
The squatters are also urged to refrain from the unlawful blocking of roads and damaging of property.
On Wednesday and Thursday, some of the evicted squatters protested on the highway, set fires and blocked it.
