THE 250 residents of the squatter community of Portmore Villas (more popular known as Les-ser Portmore), St. Catherine, who received eviction notices which expired last week, will have at least another three weeks to pack up and go.
In a telephone interview yesterday, managing director of the National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC) Christopher Honeywell warned that illegal squatters should not assume this three week reprieve is a backtracking of the order to leave. "They will have to go," he declared.
The three-week reprieve, he said, is simply the time needed to go through the appropriate procedure which will involve seeking the Minister of Water and Housing, Dr. Karl Blythe's approval in executing the order of eviction.
"As soon as we have the Minister's approval we will be taking action," Mr. Honeywell insisted.
Last week, residents who were served eviction notices by the Squatter Management Unit of the Ministry of Water and Housing in early November, complained through JLP spokeperson on Development, Lands and Water, Andrew Holness, that the order to vacate the land was unfair as they were involved in a settlement and regularisation programme through Operation PRIDE and had contributed more than $9 million to the Portmore Villas Provident Society.
They also said that some of their weekly $200-$300 contributions made to the Portmore Villas Provident Society was unaccounted for.
While confirming a discrepancy in the records of the Provident Society, Mr. Honeywell said the majority of those persons who received notices were illegal and were not contributors to the Society. He also said the small number of contributors who received notices will be evicted from lots which were not assigned to them. Those persons will be relocated to their assigned lots. The rest "must go".
About 1,200 families are now living in the squatter community.
The plan for Portmore Villas identifies only 843 lots which include residential, recreational and commercial lots. Three hundred and seventy nine of the residential lots have already been completed under phase one of the project and another 179 is now being completed.
