Some residents of Rock Hall, St Philip are calling on senior government officials to come to them “as men and women” and clear the air on a planned relocation process that is supposed to commence soon.
Earlier this week, Minister of Housing and Lands Dwight Sutherland declared that more than 20 residents were set to be moved from the controversial squatters’ village to two-bedroom houses at Parish Land, St Philip from as early as next week.
However, when Barbados TODAY visited the community just east of the Grantley Adams International Airport on Friday, residents, who spoke anonymously for fear of victimisation, said they had no idea what Sutherland was talking about.
“We haven’t heard anything yet, so we are still at a loss,” said one resident.
“All I was told is that there would be different phases and that each section would have a different phase, but I don’t know what is going on. We are still waiting to hear something,” the resident added.
Another resident of 23 years added: “We don’t know anything about what is happening. I am only hearing things through other people and I heard the same clip where the minister was talking about people moving, but I know nothing of the sort.”
She said officials from the Ministry of Housing and Lands “came around and took information from everybody” when the community last took centre stage in the media.
“That gave us the impression that things were being done and people were telling themselves they are willing to go ahead with what was being proposed, but if they aren’t telling people anything, we wouldn’t know whether to put ourselves in a position to move this week or next week or next year,” the longstanding resident added.
Residents said despite their controversial status as squatters, there were issues which needed to be fleshed out. Some explained that they were not willing to leave houses with three-bedroom accommodation to settle for two-bedroom replacements. Others wondered whether the option to purchase a plot of land instead of a house had been taken off of the table.
“I think they should do a town hall meeting because everybody is home working and they sometimes pass through when people aren’t home, but if you set a date when everybody could come tell us what is going on, then that would make sense,” said one resident.
“A town hall meeting would be perfect, because it seems as though things are going on, some people know, others don’t and as a community, all persons should know what is going on. We want to hear from somebody of relevance, not just somebody coming to take your information and that is just the end of it. You are dealing with humans. No matter how people might see us, we are humans,” said another.
One elderly resident who said her name was “Shelly” wondered what would become of persons who lacked the means to purchase the new houses.
“I don’t have any money to pay for any land because I don’t work anywhere. Whatever little income I have, I could barely survive on it right now because everything in the supermarket has gone sky high. I am hearing people say that you have to pay down $1 000 and then $500 a month. I can’t afford that.
During his contribution in Parliament, Minister Sutherland warned against further construction being done at Rock Hall, which he described as an “environmental hazard” and “an accident waiting to happen”.
While most residents maintained that they had no problem relocating, many said with the 2022 hurricane season swiftly approaching, it would be difficult to refrain from renovating their houses to protect themselves and their families. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb
