Every effort was made to have the remaining residents of Booby Alley removed
peacefully, including having them sign an agreement upon advisement from their
lawyers.
That is the word from Mobilisation Manager for the Booby Alley Project, Kem
Hodge. He also revealed that an alternative accommodation – a five-bedroom
concrete house – has been secured to serve as a temporary home for the family of
nine.
“We also had an agreement through advice given from their lawyers Leon Chaku
Symister and Sherfield Bowen. We sought and received a court order for their
removal. Even after all this, one member of the family – Joel O’Marde – refused to
abide by the court order and was fined $1,000.00 by a High Court Judge for
contempt of court,” Hodge explained.
Additionally, he disclosed that the government needs to have the area cleared by
the end of the month and have it turned over to the Chinese contractors, who are to
construct condominium-style homes for over 150 families.
According to Hodge, the majority of the residents of Booby Alley have been
peacefully relocated to a number of areas, free of charge. “More than two hundred
and forty persons have been relocated, representing the vast majority of residents
in Booby Alley. It is critical that the area be turned over to the Chinese contractors
because further delay may place the project in jeopardy,” Hodge noted.
The Mobilisation Office explained that the lands have been acquired by the
government, for the sole purpose of constructing the new houses there, as part of
the government’s urban renewal plans, and for improving the country’s housing
stock.
The project, a key campaign promise from the sitting representative, Prime
Minister Gaston Browne, has had pockets of resistance from a small, but very
vocal minority of residents of the area.
This is the latest in a series of attempts by this group to further delay the start of
the project.
