BRAVE police officers outfitted in riot gear, and a daring excavator operator on Thursday endured assault from persons who attempted to hinder the removal of illegal structures on the government reserve at Mocha-Arcadia/Cane View, East Bank Demerara.

The Guyana Chronicle was at the scene of the standoff on Thursday when persons suspected to be squatters started tossing Molotov cocktails and stones, as the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), with the help of riot police completed the demolition exercise of the remaining squatting structures.

Tensions boiled over as the defiant squatters, supported by members of the political opposition, including Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, failed to halt the exercise, which is being done so that works could continue on the critical Eccles to Diamond Road Link, which would benefit tens of thousands of Guyanese daily.

Though the entire exercise concluded without any significant injuries to anyone, residents continually tried to get the situation to take a turn for the worst, as they first verbally abused the police officers and officials before eventually getting physical.

As the police came under attack, they fired rubber pellets into the air to dispel the crowd, however, neither that nor intermittent bouts of rain could disperse them.

The residents hurled racial homophobic slurs and expletives at the police officers, while the situation climaxed when several Molotov cocktails rained down on the excavator which briefly caught fire.

However, the excavator operator and police were swift with a fire extinguisher, and the operator astonishingly returned to the machine, undaunted, and continued his demolition work.

Following failed efforts to remove the structures on Tuesday and Wednesday, officials from the CH&PA returned on Thursday, this time reinforced with the support of a squad of outfitted police officers.

The demolition exercise had commenced at approximately 11:00hrs, but protesters were dangerously influenced by opposition members to occupy the structures and remain in the path of the excavators.

Nonetheless, the police was able to remove all residents to safety, trying their best to prevent the residents from returning to the structures, and maintain order at the location.

Scores of persons lined the street across the muddy dam to witness the spectacle which was widely broadcast live on several social media pages.

The demolition exercise was the CH&PA’s last resort, so that the construction of the roadway could continue, after resistant squatters continued to demand as much as $100 million to $150 million apiece to remove from the unregularised area.

The government, through the Ministry of Housing and Water, is offering the squatters land at amounts ranging from $3.4 million to $14.3 million.

As they lamented the situation, several of the squatters present at the scene said that they were willing to move from the area amicably, but maintained that they should be paid at least $100 million each by the government.

“Moving is not a problem, but we need adequate compensation. Everybody willing to move; what is it for the government to give each one of us $100 million?” one 50-year-old man, who claimed to be the owner of one of the demolished structures, said.

However, the squatters acknowledged that the area being occupied was a government reserve, which hampered them over the years from ever attempting to get legitimate ownership of the land.

The Ministry of Housing and Water has continuously issued public notices on the situation, outlining the support that is being provided to the squatting families to remove. The CH&PA has been meeting and negotiating with the squatters for some time now, and began paying compensation to the other squatters over one year ago.

Though 28 residents had already accepted compensation in the form of housing and money from the government and peacefully removed from the area, seven squatters continued to remain at the settlement in defiance.

The government has spent over $250 million in getting the other squatters relocated, with many of the residents receiving structures with a higher standard of living than what existed at the squatting settlement.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali subsequently released a Facebook broadcast pleading with the squatters to work with the government to see the situation to an amicable resolution.