— for squatters along East and West Front Roads, Ruimveldt

MOVES are afoot to remove and relocate squatters along the East and West Ruimveldt Front Roads,Georgetown, said Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for Housing, Valarie Adams-Patterson.

According to the minister, the Ministry cannot regularise an area where three or four buildings are on one house lot.

The Community Development Department of the Ministry is conducting a survey to determine how many buildings are in the mentioned area and to mark them off to prevent persons from erecting structures there.

Once this is done, the removal and relocation will commence.

Minister Adams-Patterson told reporters on Wednesday that residents, particularly leaders in West Front Road, have been engaged and were asked to be vigilant against construction of new buildings in the marked off area.

Any new building, she said will be torn down, pointing out that the Ministry wants a clean environment and squatting along canals and the embankments will not be tolerated.

On Tuesday, in addressing participants at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), National Planning Forum, the minister said the situation at East and West Front Roads is unacceptable.

“Right now the Ministry of Public Infrastructure cannot go in there (East and West Front Roads) to do any cleaning of those canals. There is no space, not even for the equipment. Should we [not] regularise, then we are culpable … I do not want to be a part of that,” the minister said.