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Apr 17, 2015 News
– residents ask for promised homes
By Zena Henry
The Ministry of Public Works has threatened to arrest and charge Timehri residents who continue to “squat” on airport property. The government agency in a public missive Tuesday made their intentions known after they discovered new areas within the community that were being cleared for domestic and farming activities.
The Ministry said that it is “extremely disturbed and disappointed by the barefaced actions of squatters who continue to clear lands vested to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), despite repeated warnings by the Police law enforcement officers, squatters persist to clear and burn sections of lands to erect structures and farms”.
The Ministry claimed that on Thursday last, CJIA staff and police stumbled upon renewed activity in Timehri North, in the vicinity of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Ammo Dump and the Non-Directional Beacon (NDB).
The Ministry said it cannot condone squatting on lands allocated for the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) – the country’s main port of entry for international travellers. It said ‘Cease and desist’ signs will be erected in the area and law enforcement officers will “arrest and charge anyone who breaches the order”.
The Ministry said that since 2008, they along with CJIA Authority have held meetings
and engaged in one-on-one conversations with squatters on relocation options, the airport expansion and health and safety risks of living in proximity to the airport. Efforts have been made to encourage squatters to apply to the Lands and Surveys Commission for suitable alternative lands, however, many still refuse to take up the offer.
The Public Works Ministry said that the airport expansion is crucial to Guyana’s development, and the Ministry and CJIA remain committed to the project. While the Ministry said that relocating squatters to suitable areas to ensure their source of income/livelihood is at the top of their list, they wondered what could have stimulated the resumption of squatting on Airport and Public Lands earmarked for a critical national development project.
In the same vein, Timehri North residents have also wondered what happened to the properties that they were promised from the government. Mentioning the environmental impact assessment policy which is absolute to ensure the fair and legal removal of the community, they say that the government has failed to provide an adequate relocation program for community members so that disruption of their lives is limited.
In a visit to the Timehri North community last week – prior to the CJIA, Works Ministry release – this newspaper was told by residents that young, financially deprived residents were seeking areas to build small homes, as some of them have already started families.
Many residents, including children, were seen engaged in “bush cooking”, games and other activities. They claimed that the community currently has no place for recreational or educational activities. They explained that the Guyana Defence Force’s ammo dump had been cleared sometime back and soldiers told them that the area would be open for public movement which was initially prohibited.
The area which the release spoke of is located more than a quarter-mile west of the airport expansion, a stone’s throw away from other residential houses and a short distance from where the Chinese contractors were mining sand for the project.
The Timehri North Community Development Council (TNCDC) in previous clashes with the government has accused them of being uncaring and deceitful when they made promises that they did not fulfill and also tried to separate persons in the community by meeting with specific groups. The community maintains that the government told them to prepare their homes and set up the necessary amenities so that their community could become regularized.
Today, they claim, the government is asking residents to throw away all their sacrifices and relocate to an area unsuitable for them to live. They said no location was made clear, but one being hinted on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway has no amenities such as schools, health centre and recreational ground, among others.
The residents are adamant that any government seeking to strip them of their homes is obligated to provide alternate, but suitable locations.
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