In light of an ongoing dispute between the squatters and property owner, Lawrence Almeem which resulted in several houses being demolished, the Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), Sherwyn Greaves met with the aggrieved squatters on Friday.
The ongoing conflict stems from the demolition of squatters’ structures by the private landowner on May 31, 2023, following a civil court ruling.
Through CHPA, the government is implementing a relocation and resettlement program to ensure that families are in a safer environment. Greaves revealed that each household will be offered a plot of land or a turnkey house, based on their preference.
He indicated that all the applications will be fast-tracked and urged the squatters to work with the agency. The Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) is also offering the squatters land at Long Creek along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway.
Additionally, persons have the option of remaining at the Hill Foot land and applying for prescriptive rights.
Meanwhile, Minister McCoy further assured the squatters that the government will work with all those who are displaced. He reaffirmed that the government is in no way responsible for the eviction and urged them to ignore falsehoods spewed by the political opposition.
Squatters are also urged to refrain from the unlawful blocking of roads and damaging of property.
