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‘Plastic City’ residents deterred by cost of house lots

Mar 28, 2009 News

As the Ministry of Housing and Water continues to seek to relocate the squatters of Plastic City, the price of house lots continues to deter many of the squatters from pursuing the government’s intention.
Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali, maintained that relocating the residents of Plastic City was necessary, since they are exposed to various health and environmental threats. Many of them are exposed to the ocean, and with rising sea levels, any investment in the area is a risk.
At the same time, the Minister highlighted that some of the residents of Plastic City (and the nearby Skull City) are currently living within the confines of a burial ground.
The minister had encouraged persons to apply for house lots, and pointed out that at present there were low-income house lots available.
He said that these low-income house lots are highly subsidised by the government.
He said that there were house lots, which could be had for as little as $100,000.
According to the Minister, after paying a deposit of $50,000 the residents of Plastic City could work out a payment plan, depending on the situation of the person who had applied for the house lot.
Despite these efforts by the Ministry of Housing and Water, many persons say that they simply cannot afford to pay the amount of money for which these ‘highly subsidized’ house lots are being sold for. The deposit, which is being asked for is too high.
One resident of the area said that he had previously approached the authorities for a legitimate house lot before, but he was put off by the price.
“It might not sound like a
lot to some people, but to a man like me who works for a small salary, It is difficult to find that kind of money to pay for a house lot and take care of my family…If I could get a (house) lot and work and pay, that would be nice, but that is not the case,” he said.
Nonetheless, the plan for the impending relocation of the squatters is continuing. According to the Minister, a technical team will be going into the area shortly to assess the situation.
The report, which is to come out of the technical team’s visit, is expected to provide the Ministry with vital information on the area, and the people that live there.
The report should be completed some time in the next two to three weeks.
Since the area is so vast, Ali said that any relocation would have to be done in phases. “We will identify the high risk areas and relocate persons living there first,” said the Minister.
Oddly enough, some of the residents of Plastic City have said that they are content in their present dwellings.
They also noted that they are happy with the efforts that the government has made, thus far, to regularise the area.

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