Despite being warned, residents from various villages on the East Coast Demerara (ECD) armed with cutlasses and other weapons continued to squat on lands which they claimed were promised to them years ago and which they now hope to acquire under the new government.

When Stabroek News visited some of these areas yesterday numerous persons said they were out on the lands all day yesterday again, but the authorities seemed not to be paying them any heed. They said that if this continues they will go ahead and start to build. Some said that if no one pays them any interest they are planning to protest in front the Ministry of Housing and Water building.

Mohan Lall, a resident of Success, ECD said he heard that persons from most of the villages have been squatting and he thought of joining, since he has been living in a rented house and thinks it is time enough to acquire his own. Lall added that squatting started last week.

He said that yesterday a few security personnel from GuySuCo went and warned persons squatting on land owned by the company. He said no one paid heed to the warning.

Apart from the squatting, persons yesterday blocked off the road leading to the canefield in Success.

Many said that vehicles belonging to those squatting were parked along the roadway blocking off entrances of those living there legally. The blockage of the road was cleared by the police, but up to late yesterday afternoon when this newspaper visited the area, vehicles were still parked in their numbers.

At Mon Repos, land grabbers claimed the land was jointly owned by the Ministry of Housing and Water and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) and has not been in use for years.

One farmer, who asked not to be named, said that he visited the Commissioner of Police’s Office yesterday in relation to the matter because he totally opposes the activity. He noted that the land persons were encroaching on was used to graze cattle. He said his cows have been grazing there for years.

At Enmore, Amarnauth Sookram, a resident, said that the police had visited on Sunday and warned the persons squatting on GuySuCo’s land. He said those persons have not returned since.

Yesterday land in other areas such as Sophia, Turkeyen and Beterverwagting was bordered and marked with names placed on piece of boards stuck in the dirt but persons were not seem on the land.

Some land grabbers’ reasoning was that persons had been given land, but did not need it, as they had just left it abandoned while others are in need of it. Several, who said they were determined to get land, said they did not expect to get it free and were willing to pay $100,000 for a house lot.

Source: