Adrian Frater, News Editor Western Bureau:
With their vacate-and-quit notices expiring today, and amid renewed fears that their homes will be bulldozed, occupants of the disputed Duncan's Bay property in Trelawny have turned to Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller for help.
In a letter to the Prime Minister dated July 25, the Kettering Community Development Associa-tion, which is representing the 100 occupants of the disputed property, says that a resettlement plan has not materialised, and this has hampered their bid to comply with the notice.
"Resettlement is a complex issue that cannot be achieved overnight," the letter to the Prime Minister states. "The process requires the acquisition of land, boundary surveys, design and planning, sub-divisions, sourcing of finances, the building of the community's acceptance and the legal framework to guide the process."
With land developer, Keith Russell, who has previously given them several extensions, now adamant that no further extensions will be granted, the residents areof the view that he is being insensitive to their efforts to resolve the matter in an amicable manner.
"The land slated for the resettlement has been identified by Member of Parliament Dr. Patrick Harris, who is now in negotiation with the various entities that will facilitate the resettlement project," the letter to the Prime Minister continues. "We are satisfied that Dr. Harris has tried his best to meet the deadline. However, the onus for this resettlement programme cannot be borne solely him."
Development endorsed
Initially, the residents claimed the property, contending that Russell had given it to them during his tenure as North Trelawny MP from 1980 to 1989. Quoting a Gleaner article published on October 18, 1988, they said Opposition Leader Bruce Golding, the then Minister of Construction, had even endorsed the development as part of the Government's expand-a-village programme.
Having opted for resettlement instead of pursuing the matter in the courts on the grounds of adverse possession, the Kettering Community Development Association thinks that Russell's latest notice is harsh.
"We are, therefore, forced once again to call on you to intervene in this matter to stave off the bulldozers from destroying our homes, property and livelihoods," the letter concludes.
