– young squatter says he is comfortable, well-fed

By Vishani Ragobeer

TWELVE squatters from Success on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) are now residing at the shelter set up for them at the Graham’s Hall Primary School, located at Cummings Lodge, ECD, according to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC).

According to information from the CDC, there are now seven males and five females who are housed at the shelter, including three children – two girls and one boy. The Ministry of Education has committed to assisting school-aged children at the shelter with educational materials and assistance.

While visiting the shelter on Saturday, the Sunday Chronicle spoke to the first squatter who took up the aid at the primary school a week ago. The young man, Dave [not real name] related that he was squatting on the second field at the Success squatting area.

Though he prefers the humble structure he constructed at Success, Dave said he has been comfortably staying at the temporary shelter. He even highlighted that he has been receiving “three square meals” every day.

Currently, he is unsure whether he will be assisted with a house lot, but he plans to occupy the space until another solution is provided.

“Whatever help I get, I gon accept and bless,” Dave said.

Squatters have been occupying the Success lands that belong to Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) for months now. Many of the squatters said they were waiting for their house lots for several years and lamented the financial challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

More recently, GuySuCo has begun flooding the lands to prepare for the resumption of cultivation after years of dormancy, and it has been emphasised that these persons cannot stay on the lands.

Director-General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, emphasised that those squatters who are affected by the flooding at Success should immediately contact the National Emergency Management System (NEMS) on 226-1114, 623-1700 and 600-7500 and make their way to the Graham’s Hall Primary School, where they will be housed.

Recently, the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony told the Sunday Chronicle that he would ask the regional health authorities to examine any health issues at that flooded area, following concerns raised about the potential for water-borne diseases.

“We certainly did not get any complaints from anyone in that area and I haven’t seen anything from any of our health centres or any special reports coming in about a peculiar situation there, so that really was not on my radar,” Dr Anthony said, before committing to look into the matter.

Recently, Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo told this newspaper that the government will provide assistance to some of the squatters. This assistance, he added, would be getting them land to live on.

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