–with alternative housing options available

THE government, through the Ministry of Housing and Water, has warned the five remaining Cane View/Herstelling (Mocha) squatters that it will be forced to demolish their structures unless they move immediately.

These squatters, alongside others who have already moved, constructed housing structures on a government reserve between Mocha and Herstelling, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
That reserve is part of the forthcoming Eccles to Great Diamond, EBD highway, and to continue work on this crucial road link, people residing on the reserve need to move.

Already, the Housing Ministry said more than 20 families have relocated, having received full compensation for their properties, and been given both free house lots and a grace period to facilitate the construction of their new houses.

The five remaining squatters have, however, rejected the government’s offers and continue to occupy the reserve. In a notice published in the daily newspapers, the Ministry of Housing and Water has warned that further action will be taken, given the “harsh, baseless and irrational resistance”.

The notice, dated November 24, 2022, goes on to say, “The Government of Guyana, and by extension the Ministry of Housing and Water, stands ready to work with all Guyanese in their best interest. “However, we will no longer stand by and allow a nation’s development to be held hostage by illegal activities of any sort.

“Should the last offer be rejected by these illegal squatters, the Ministry will have no other choice but to proceed with a demolition exercise.”

Some of the residents who were relocated to the Farm-Herstelling housing areas have begun construction of their new homes, while others have already completed theirs. But the five squatters at reference are adamant that they will not move, and have rejected a two-week notice from November 5, 2022 to vacate the reserve.