Relocation programme coming for Linden/Soesdyke highway squatters- Croal

In a bid to address the issue of squatting in communities along the Linden/Soesdyke highway, the Ministry of Housing and Water will soon be rolling out a “massive” programme aimed at relocating these persons to close by areas.

“We cannot regularise persons where they occupy now. There are some areas (where) we are working on regularisation but there will have to be a massive relocation programme for the highway occupants.

“We are not relocating you very far. You will be relocated right on the highway,” Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal said on Tuesday.

Croal was at the time addressing residents who gathered at a mortgage initiative outreach. These are persons who were recently issued their land ownership documents.

The outreach aimed at providing these persons with the opportunity to meet with representatives from the bank to pre-qualify for mortgages to build their own homes.

Croal pointed out that currently there are a number of persons who are occupying land on the Linden/Soesdyke highway but they cannot be regularised.

So instead he said they will be relocated.

To this end, he said surveys were already conducted in areas such as Circuitville and Swan/Sandville extension to cater for over 1,500 persons.

“We have the images of every one of the occupants so nobody can get smart now and think that they can go take up a new place of land and be addressed,” Croal said.

While over at Haruni, Croal added that a portion of land was received and land clearing will commence for the first 800+ lots sometime next week.

“So a lot of investment is happening here on the East Bank, Soesdyke/ Timehri area.

“Where you are situated, you are the future of our country and the transformation has started, the development has started. It’s happening right before your eyes,” Croal told the residents.