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Housing Ministry demolishes squatter settlement on W.C.D
…residents disgruntled, police arrest three
By Fareeza Haniff
Chaos erupted in the community of Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara, yesterday, when officials from the Ministry of Housing dismantled a number of ‘shacks’ that were constructed in the Anna Catherina South Scheme.
Some of the residents now contemplating their fate.
The shacks were constructed by residents of Sea View Anna Catherina/Corneila Ida whose houses were destroyed by the spring tide during last week. The houses of the residents are close to the seawall, and as expected during this season, their homes are under water.
And to make matters worse, the Housing Ministry had given the residents 14 days to remove from the land, since they are squatting. This was met with much dissatisfaction from the residents, who then opted to squat on another piece of government land – this time in Anna Catherina South Scheme.
But the Housing Ministry yesterday reacted to the residents’ decision and from 6:30 am, commenced dismantling the ‘shacks.’
As a result of this, residents commenced protesting the actions of the Ministry’s officials. The police were called in and three persons were arrested for allegedly threatening the officials.
Those arrested were Rondell John, Ramnarine Harrinarine and another man who eventually escaped from police custody shortly after he was placed in the police van.
Kaieteur News understands that the Ministry has offered to relocate the residents at Parfait Harmonie West Bank Demerara, but the residents do not agree with this.
Some claimed that their entire livelihood is in Anna Catherina. Their children attend school in the community and their husbands work at the Uitvlugt Estate, some of the women said.
Housing Minister, Irfaan Ali, visited the residents in the midst of the chaos and he failed miserably to calm them.
During the less than ten minutes meeting with them, one woman informed the Minister that she would not relocate to Parfait Harmonie.
Minister Ali’s response was, “If you ain’t want Parfait Harmonie, what you want me to do woman?”
The police remained at the scene and tried their best to bring the situation under control.
Bagwanttie Harrinarine, a mother of four, and who has been living in Sea View for the past nine years, told Kaieteur News that she refuses to relocate to Parfait Harmonie since she cannot afford it.
She along with other residents want the Anna Catherina South Scheme to become a housing area so that they can live there.
“Meh husband ah wuk at Uitvlugt Estate and we can’t go till ah Number Two (Parfait Harmonie)…We want right here.
Harrinarine, like many other residents, applied for a house lot some time ago, but to date, the application is still to be processed.
Maria James, a mother of eight, expressed her frustration with the situation, since her children cannot attend school.
“Right now I am suffering. I have a little baby here suffering with fever, cold and all kind ah things due to what is going on.”
Another mother, Joycelyn Ho-A- Lim noted that she also cannot afford to relocate at this time.
“I cannot afford to go live in Parfait Harmonie because I have children going to school here and my husband is a sugar worker. We studying how we can afford to bring our children out from that area. It gun cost a lot of money to do so.”
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