The Ministry of Public Infrastructure is firmly assuring residents of the of the Parika Façade, East Bank Essequibo squatting community that it will not be demolishing their homes.
It said the most extreme form of action will be the relocation of homes, found to be in the direct path of the proposed site for the Parika-Goshen Road Project.
This comes in light of recent reports claiming that homes will be demolished to facilitate the project. ” These statements have, understandably, caused panic in residents of the community,” a release from the Ministry stated.
It was noted that the project is currently in its design and consultancy phase. “When this process is completed, then it will be determined if relocation, not demolition, is necessary,” the ministry stressed.
The press release further stated that “it must be noted that the relocation of homes to facilitate projects is not unusual. For example, the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) runway project saw the relocation of 19 homes in Timehri North. These homes were relocated some 200 metres away. Additionally, this process featured several consultations with the residents over an extended period of time.”
It is reassuring that if, following the design process, residents of Parika Façade must be relocated, they will be duly consulted on the way forward.
“Furthermore, while the Ministry supports community interactions on projects, we must encourage all interested persons to be duly informed and educated before publicly communicating on projects. Furthermore, those who have reportedly been deliberately sharing misinformation are urged to cease this practice,” it cautioned.
