Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
Residents of Lamaha Railway Embankment must relocate
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, says that persons living along the Lamaha Embankment have to relocate, given that the continued existence of the “residential farmers” would be imperiled by the high tension lines. “They are at significant risk.”
Guyana Power and Light has embarked on a process that will see the installation of 20 megawatts of power being added to the Demerara grid, but that would require the installation of an extremely high voltage along the embankment, and will interconnect with the GPL generation in Sophia.
Dr Luncheon did hint at the possibility of the persons being allowed to farm at the location, saying: “It is not the farmers; rather, it is those using the place as a residence…There is no way that construction and maintenance of such a line will be compatible with safe residence with anyone.”
The Government, on numerous occasions, had announced that the residents on the embankment must relocate, but with the completion of the power line slated for mid-2009, it appears more than likely that this time they will have to relocate.
Public Works Minister Robeson Benn has, for a long time now, been lamenting the fact that the area has become populated with squatters and commercial establishments, some of which are illegal.
Removal notices have been served on the squatters as part of the ongoing campaign, and offenders are being urged to comply with the notices.
Reports from the Ministry of Housing and Water have indicated that more than 75 percent of the squatters were allocated land in the developed housing schemes, but they are reluctant to relocate.
Minister Benn is on record as saying that the situation cannot continue, taking into account the increasing level of congestion on the city’s road network.
This may require consideration of the reserve as a roadway.
Issues such as property value along Lamaha Street and the need to enhance the general appearance of the area, which deteriorated over the years as a result of the occupancy of the reserve, must be taken into consideration, the minister added.
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