– Minister Nawbatt urges squatters to stop breaking law
MINISTER of Housing and Water Mr. Harry Narine Nawbatt has vowed to take strong actions against squatters, noting that the ‘squatting scourge’ has once again been ‘raising its ugly head’.

According to the Minister, there are new reports of squatting in Regions Six, Nine and Ten.

The Ministry has since taken action, he said.

During last week, a team from the Ministry of Housing visited Lethem, Region Nine where the problems associated with squatting were discussed and persons who were guilty of this illegal act were informed that they should apply for house-lots through the Ministry.

Minister Nawbatt said a team will be returning to Lethem tomorrow to process all the applications that were pending and to also discuss in more details questions from those persons who are squatting.

He said some housing schemes will be regularized. However, those who are breaking the law will have to definitely move because persons are starting to squat in the security areas.

With the completion of the Takutu River Bridge, persons are gravitating to those areas because of investment reasons since they are aware that the area has potential for business.

Minister Nawbatt said although it is natural for persons to be interested in moving to those areas, the Ministry will not tolerate squatting in any form in any part of the country and therefore squatters are urged to desist from doing so.

Another issue that is engaging the Ministry’s attention is persons requesting to identify lots allocated to them years ago.

Minister Nawbatt said persons should not be requesting repeatedly of the Ministry to identify their lots and urged that they put some sort of identification on their lots or fence it.

“Person are advised not to be removing the palls that the surveyors from the Ministry have placed on the house-lots since the removal of palls is an illegal offence and the Ministry of Housing is finding it a problem to invest more in replacing them,” Minister Nawbatt highlighted.

The Ministry published last week a list of names of those persons who were allocated house-lots for many years and have not paid for them or built any structure.

Minister Nawbatt said those persons had up to May 16 to visit the Ministry, to discuss the reasons and negotiate any further deadlines.

However, those who haven’t done so will have to give the lots up so that they can be given to applicants who have been waiting for a long time and who are willing to build now.

The Ministry is working on allocating lots to persons who applied from 2000-2004 and is interviewing persons who applied in 2005 so that they would also be allocated lots. At the end of June, the Ministry will be interviewing persons who applied in 2006.

According to the Minister, the ministry can only allocate house-lots where they are available, although persons continue requesting to have lots in areas where the Ministry has none available such as Sophia, Diamond, and Eccles.

He said if lots are repossessed from those areas they will be allocated to persons who are next on the waiting list.

He advised against persons selling lots allocated by the Government as this incurs a penalty.

The Ministry of Housing and Water has been placing major emphasis on the development of housing areas throughout the country in order to provide housing for those in need.