-likely to take up residence in Cummings Lodge, says Saul

FOR over a year the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) has been searching for a proper location for the Lombard and Broad Streets squatters and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CH&PA, Lelon Saul believes that they will find a solution by October this year.

Efforts to relocate the squatters to Mocha Arcadia last year were met by resistance from the residents of the village and Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) of the community.

The NDC had contended that they were not consulted about the CH&PA’s decision and the land which was allocated to the squatters was ancestral land.
President David Granger has since launched a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into ancestral lands.

“The president had asked that we put the relocation of the squatters on hold, pending the outcome of the COI,” said Saul in an invited comment on Tuesday.

Subsequent to the contentious period, CH&PA had explored the possibility of relocating the squatters to Barnwell on the East Bank of Essequibo (EBE) but Saul said the area was deemed inappropriate because of the poor soil condition.

He said the ministry still intends on providing proper accommodation for the squatters since $43 million was allocated by the CH&PA last year to have 72 houses erected for the people of Broad and Lombard Streets.

The project was a collaborative effort between the Government, Food for the Poor Guyana and private citizens.

“We are still working to find a suitable location for the residents and as soon as we identify it the project will be implemented,” said Saul, adding that they believe it would most likely be Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown.

The squatters are being forced to move as a result of court action filed by the rightful owners of the property.