Cops demolish homes of Mocha residents

Jan 06, 2023 News

– three persons arrested, two Policemen injured during clash

Kaieteur News – A demolition exercise of houses at Mocha Arcadia squatting area, East Bank Demerara on Thursday left two officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) injured, while three persons are currently in police custody.

This was confirmed by Commander of Regional Divisional ‘4’ B, Senior Superintendent Mahendra Singh, who related to this publication that a woman is among the three persons who were arrested for alleged assault yesterday.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Housing had moved to demolish several houses at the squatting area, which continued on Thursday. Yesterday, during the exercise, the demolition team was met with resistance by residents who attempted to block the men from breaking down their homes. During the commotion, two police officers sustained injuries about their bodies and had to be taken to the Diamond Hospital for treatment.

Scenes from the commotion which occurred during the demolition exercise at the Mocha Squatting Area on Thursday.

The demolition of the houses comes after seven families had refused to vacate the government’s reserve, which is slated to be used to build a new four-lane road. Kaieteur News had reported that the Government said that in keeping with its mandate to ease traffic congestion for thousands of commuters along the East Bank Demerara (EBD), Region Four corridor, it is constructing the Eccles to Great Diamond Highway. However, the illegally occupied lands at Cane View/Herstelling form an essential link to the project.

The Housing Ministry had stated that to date more than twenty families have relocated to nearby residential areas and have rebuilt new homes through government compensation.

However, the seven individuals remain non-compliant and continue to stall this development plan. The Ministry had noted several notices were issued to the seven households to relocate, but all their effort has been met with harsh and irrational resistance. The Ministry had stated before that should their offers be rejected by theses illegal squatters, it will have no other choice but to proceed with a demolition exercise.

Houses that were demolition by the Ministry of Housing at the squatting area.

Kaieteur News had reported that the seven families were offered full compensation for their properties, a free residential house lot and a grace period to facilitate the construction of their new home. In November, making another offer, the Ministry had publically offered the families two bedroom houses each in Little Diamond Housing Scheme, which they refused to take.

On Thursday, when the Ministry moved to breakdown the houses, chaos erupted as the residents ended up setting the excavator on fire. However, it was quickly extinguished by police who were also present at the exercise. Video surfacing of the commotion on Thursday showed that police had used tear gas to get the residents to move, while several bridges leading to the squatting area were broken down.

During a press conference on Thursday, Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton had said that the Opposition stands in solidarity with the residents of Cane View, Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara, who are facing the vicious and unacceptable demolition of their homes by agents carrying out the will of the “uncaring and vengeful PPP/C regime.”

“We also strongly condemn the actions of the Ministry of Housing, the employees of which recently destroyed a bridge in the village. We urge the Government to immediately halt the demolition of homes in Mocha Arcadia and to engage in fair and constructive dialogue with the affected residents to find a fair and equitable solution,” Norton had stated. Meanwhile, following the events at Mocha, President Irfaan Ali in a live broadcast had urged the residents not to not to be used as political tools by the Opposition. He told the residents that his Government is ready to work with them and “to remove you from the illegally occupied reserve and to give you a better life. “