– as GuySuCo intensifies preparation of land

By Vishani Ragobeer

SCORES of persons who were squatting on the GuySuCo land at Success have left, while few, with nowhere else to go, have stayed behind on the lands being flooded by the corporation, as part of its field preparation for sugar cane cultivation.

Over the past few months, squatters have been occupying lands at Vryheid’s Lust, Success and Chateau Margot on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD). The largest group of squatters has been squatting at Success, on lands belonging to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), where sugar cane cultivation is expected to resume, after years of dormancy.

The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), on the campaign trail, promised that it would revitalise sugar production once in office. In keeping with this promise, President Irfaan Ali, during a recent press conference, related that a sum of money would be used to start preparation for the reopening of the Skeldon, Rose Hall and Enmore estates. For the Enmore estate, in particular, to be re-operationalised, Head of the Agriculture Research Centre at GuySuCo, Gavin Ramnarain, explained that massive amounts of the cane crop will be required. That amount of cane crop is expected to be garnered from lands across the ECD, including at Success.

But, the land must first be prepared before cane seedlings can be planted there. As such, GuySuCo has begun flooding the land to clear it of any pests and unwanted vegetation. Gavin explained that this is a cheap and eco-friendly option of clearing the land.

For the squatters, however, this means that the humble homes they have built on the land are now flooded. When the Guyana Chronicle visited Success on Tuesday, some persons were seen moving off of the land, as the flood waters had begun encroaching into their homes. On Wednesday; however, as far up as the first field was entirely flooded as three excavators were observed digging up the land.

“I ain’t got nowhere else to go. I poor and I lose me job since this COVID thing and I really ain’t got nowhere else to go,” a mother of four said. Previously, she worked as a salesgirl and lived in a rented home. Since losing her job, she said she was forced to come to Success and squat.

She stood on the high dam, with an infant child in hand, as the water flooded her makeshift home. She explained that while many of the squatters there at Success had somewhere else to go, she has nowhere else to go.

The few squatters who stayed amidst the flooding related that they were the ones in dire need of the assistance; they complained that many others who left were not in such dire need and had somewhere else to go.

Daveka, a pregnant mother, was one such person. Her home consists of a tarpaulin wrapped around pieces of wood wedged into the ground; she has a small kerosene stove and a mattress on top of a few wooden crates.

She told the Guyana Chronicle that she was a receptionist at the Tourist Villa, but lost her job due to the pandemic. She occupied the land a few months ago and made there her home.

Currently, she is on a slightly higher dam towards the western end of the Success lands and not much water has encroached into her space. However, it won’t be long before the water will flood her humble abode.

Recently, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) began streamlining the land applications of squatters occupying those lands unlawfully, in an attempt to provide some redress. The CEO of the CH&PA, Sherywn Greaves, reaffirmed, on Monday, that the authority was doing all that it could to assist those persons, but the authority is still distributing lands in a structured manner — giving lands to persons with the oldest applications first.

Though cognisant of the plight of these squatters, Minister of Housing, Collin Croal, previously told the Guyana Chronicle that the affected individuals have to follow the established process of applying for house lots, that is, through an application to the CH&PA.