THE Ministry of Public Works is extremely disturbed and disappointed by the action of squatters who continue to clear lands allotted to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). 

Despite repeated warnings by the police, squatters persist in clearing and burning sections of lands to erect structures and farms, the ministry related.
The Public Works Ministry would like to highlight that on Thursday, April 9, 2015, CJIA staff and police stumbled upon this renewed activity in Timehri North, in the vicinity of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Ammo Dump and the Non-Directional Beacon (NDB). “The squatters were cautioned to discontinue their actions.”

The ministry said that it could not condone squatting on lands allocated for the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), the country’s main port of entry for international travellers. “Cease and desist” signs will be erected in the area shortly and law-enforcement officers will arrest and charge anyone who breaches the order,” the ministry disclosed.
The ministry and the CJIA authorities have been in discussions since 2008 and have held meetings and engaged in one-on-one conversations with squatters on relocation options, the airport expansion and the health and safety risks of living in close proximity to the airport.
“Efforts have been made to encourage squatters to apply to the Lands and Surveys Commission for suitable, alternative lands; however, many still refuse to take up the offer,” the ministry noted.
The Public Works Ministry ponders what would have fuelled the resumption of squatting on airport and public lands earmarked for a critical national development project. The ministry has been and continues to help squatters relocate to suitable areas to ensure their sources of incomes/livelihoods are sustained, is also atop the ministry’s list of priorities.
The airport expansion is crucial to Guyana’s development, and the Public Works Ministry and CJIA remain committed to the project.