WORK began yesterday to demolition homes in the Gaza shanty town in the area of Murphy Town, Abaco. Upset residents were seen gathering items up to the last minute.
By JADE RUSSELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
jrussell@tribunemedia.net
AFTER years of government pledges to dismantle unregulated communities in Abaco, the Ministry of Works began demolishing more than 100 structures in the Gaza shanty town on the island yesterday.
Buildings Control Officer Craig Delancy said the demolition exercise started around 10am in the Gaza shanty town located near SC Bootle Highway, west of Murphy Town. Bulldozers clamped down on buildings while residents watched their homes get torn to shreds.
On January 24, officials said they issued 28-day eviction notices to the shanty town residents in Gaza and the Gully. Mr Delancy said none of the structures had building permits, and none of the residents living in the unregulated community owned the land.
“This morning, when we came in, we still found persons in the homes, and they were on the way of packing up,” Mr Delancy added. “And so, we gave them some time to remove all of the items they wish to move at this time.”
Residents waited until the last minute to remove their belongings because they anticipated the demolition wouldn’t happen.
On Facebook Live, Bishop Silbert Mills, a prominent Abaco resident, showed residents carrying their belongings in garbage bags.
At one point, he showed a man approaching an officer with his passport and other documents.
“You can see in the distance someone is coming back with garbage bags, a load of stuff they are retrieving last minute from their house,” he said.
Mr Delancy said there were over 120 structures in Gaza, some of which were unfinished or just starting to be built. He urged people in the two shanty towns called the Gully and the Farm to prepare to move as soon as possible.
“We’re just carrying out the mandate under the Buildings Regulation Act,” he said.
Officials are expected to move to the Gully and the Farm today for the ongoing demolition exercise.
Mr Delancy said most residents yesterday appeared to have housing accommodations.
The government’s push to demolish shanty towns in Abaco –– where Works Minister Clay Sweeting said more than 90 per cent of the homes reportedly lack running water –– comes after structures in the Kool Acres, All Saints Way, and Area 52 shanty towns of New Providence were destroyed.
Mr Sweeting said the action is not just a demolition exercise, but one that advises “people to adhere to the law.”
Last week, amid concerns about whether enough housing is available for shanty town residents facing eviction in Abaco, Central and South Abaco MP John Pinder said that the island’s housing shortage won’t be solved overnight.
“The housing shortage is not going to be solved overnight. It’s not going to be resolved within a couple of years. And it’s going to be an ongoing problem, but that’s why I encourage all the entrepreneurs out there, anybody that wants to make an investment, Abaco is the place to do it,” Mr Pinder said.
Comments
Sickened 1 month, 4 weeks ago
Kudos for the PLP for getting this done. The FNM tried (not fully convinced about the amount of effort though) but the PLP did it. It just goes to show that sometimes you need a party like the PLP in power, as they don't ask permission for anything.. they just do whatever they want.
Apostle 1 month, 4 weeks ago
It was a PLP judge, who stopped the FNM and the same PLP judge now who allowed the PLP government to do it. All politics aside, this needed to be done and must not allow this to happen. again nowhere in the Bahamas. We just need to decide how they will deal with these displaced people, otherwise they are only transferring them from one place to another like hurricane Dorian.
All human beings have the need for physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self- actualization, food and shelter. So whether FNM or PLP, the Bahamian tax payers will inevitably absorb the bill to deal with these people.
I wish them all the best.
ExposedU2C 1 month, 4 weeks ago
Most of the occupants of these illegal and unsafe shanty town abodes entered our country illegally and they and their offspring managed to obtain papers "under the table", often with the financial help of the exploitative pay masters who employ them for menial labour.
The root cause of our problem has always been a corrupt immigration system where anyone can "buy" whatever papers they need for whomever. This is the core of the human trafficking that has been going on in our nation for decades now, and has literally resulted in the invasion of our country by foreign nationals, especially illegal Haitian aliens.
TalRussell 1 month, 4 weeks ago
By the end of the day, the premiership, still has time to apply the $30,000 siphoned from those popoulaces' living witth disabilities, ---- Said monies should be applied to underwrite the costs for trucking off and storage of furnitures' and household items, belonging to those whose homes are dismantled. --- Rest assured, as the US Embassy, watches our crime handling, so are they watching how we respond to humanitarian matters. --- Yes?
birdiestrachan 1 month, 4 weeks ago
News report about 40 illegals were found at the dock they would have housing there is no respect for the law how can the government provide housing when they did not know you were comming
SP 1 month, 4 weeks ago
“We’re just carrying out the mandate under the Buildings Regulation Act,” After 50 years of total bullshyt!
It's no wonder the damn Haitians don't take the government seriously.
Bonefishpete 1 month, 4 weeks ago
Welp I guess it's back to the Farm Road.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID