The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

CONCERNED Abaco residents who have repeatedly voiced frustrations about the growing shanty towns on the island want the government to “put their money where their mouth is” when it comes to dealing with the unregulated communities.

The residents were responding to recent comments made by Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears who said it was time for “considered action” to address the expansion of shanty towns.

He also told reporters on Wednesday that the government hopes to host a press conference soon to announce their plans to address the illegal developments.

However, according to Abaco residents, it’s something that they have heard before and still nothing has been done to date to resolve the problem.

“All you are doing is talk, talk, talk. Do something and let us see you do something. Don’t tell us what you’re going to do and in the same voice, you are mistreating the Bahamians,” said Stephanie Hield, of Treasure Cay. “We can’t go in nobody else country and do what they’re allowed to do in The Bahamas.”

Ms Hield said that just about every day, she witnesses truckloads of building supplies being delivered to the Farm area, a growing shanty town that has mushroomed to 200 acres from 50 acres since 2019.

“Not only that, but just look at the main highway — why so many houses were allowed after the hurricane and after that ban was put on those houses, why are they still building? I went out south the other day and the same thing is happening,” she said.

“It’s okay for them to come in and build as they feel like, but when Bahamians do something, it is like they are foreigners in their own country, and it is unfair.”

She also raised concerns about Bahamians leasing their properties out to shanty town dwellers, allowing for expansion of the illegal communities, insisting that those responsible should be hauled before the courts.

“I feel like the government should put them before the court and charge them for every house they allowed them to build without a permit so whoever that property belongs to, they should charge them for every one of those houses they are allowed to build on their property,” the Abaco resident continued.

For his part, Roscoe Thompson, head of the Marsh Harbour/Spring City Township, also agreed the situation is out of hand and now is the time for action.

However, he also warned demolishing the unregulated structures may prove a challenge now because many of shanty town dwellers are Bahamians of Haitian descent who otherwise have no place to go due to the housing crisis there.

He also recommended that the government find a suitable area to develop as a housing subdivision and make it affordable to house those residents as an alternative solution.

“They need to, I think, find an area because a lot of them are Bahamians you know and they have a right to be here and first of all they have to find a location that’s adequate or acceptable and then open it up for Bahamians or nationals like a subdivision,” Mr Thompson said.

“They need to find 40 or 50 acres and do a proper subdivision and what they need is 80 by 80 lots and open it up to Bahamians as well as foreign nationals that have a right to be here so they could purchase a piece of land for whatever the infrastructure costs is going to be.”

“I mean that’s one suggestion. The other thing is if someone in the private industry built an apartment project that is (a) low rent apartment complex, but it’s getting out of hand, but where do you expect the people to go?”

A recent operation on Abaco resulted in 52 arrests and exposed the scope of the worsening shanty town problem.

This comes as a special committee, formed under the auspices of the Ministry of Works, continues its investigations into the irregular communities.

Last month, Mr Sears said the group had a 45-day deadline to review and survey people living in the unregulated developments and another 15 days to report back with recommendations on how to deal with them.

Before Hurricane Dorian decimated them in 2019, shanty towns across Abaco had more than 1,000 homes and an estimated population of 3,500, according to government reports.

However, after the storm hit the island, the government issued an immediate ban on the construction of any new buildings in the four major shanty towns on Abaco and later began demolition exercises of newly built structures there.

Those exercises were stopped after Supreme Court Justice Cheryl Grant- Thompson ordered the government to cease and desist further interference with those communities until the judicial review of the matter was completed.

Officials were also ordered to get approval from the court before demolishing any further structures. “As we move, we have to move in a very rational, compassionate (manner), but also, we have to uphold the rule of law and that is what we intend to do,” Mr Sears said last month.