And while there is that major shake-up in the PUP, the UDP Representative for Lake Independence, Mark King, is coming under fire from the Chetumal Street squatters once again.
The last time we reported on this issue was a month ago when King announced that he was assisting 11 families to be relocated from the private lands they were squatting on to lots in Cotton Tree.
A few hours later, another group of squatters approached the media saying that they wanted King to get involved, acquire the land they were on and distribute it to them legally. But, King has maintained that the lands are all privately owned, and that there was no land available in the area, so the squatters need to get used to the idea that they would have to move.
Well, the squatters have regrouped, and one spokesperson says that she has discovered why their area rep. wants them to move so badly. She did some research at the Lands Department, and she alleges that the Minister has personally delivered recommendations for Land leases in Lake I to his employees, friends and cronies - on the very same plots of land that the squatters are being forced off of.
She told us about it today, alleging that King has refused to give any recommendations for land in the area because an authenticated survey of hasn't been done:
Bernarda Riviera - Squatter
"Many people go to his office - the map is not ready; the survey is not ready; lands department has not approved the map; lands department have not authenticated the map. He says to us 'I cannot do anything, because I don't have the map.' He cannot issue a recommendation letter because he don't have the numbers. He cannot give us any kind of comfort because there is huge development going on and his words are that the government of Belize will not allow him to issue the land, until the buildings are completed. Because they need to do the development first. But what happen is that I got information and we went to Belmopan and we got a copy of the map. So, the map that I have and that the rest of people have is real. It not a fake. This map has been authenticated from July 2014. You are telling me that all this while, this map has not been authenticated? That this map does not exist? So what have you been telling me all this while? You have been lying to me. You have been lying to your people. You have been lying to the whole community saying it is not ready, when you were fully aware that this map is ready and that this map exists. What we did, we got our information together and as we went along, we discovered that since October 2014, 2-3 months after the map was authenticated, he personally took applications to lands department for his people, for his cronies. So actually he is applying for our land in other people's name. So what is his plan? This is what is his plan. His plan is for the people to sit on this land. He will not move us. He will not, because he had issued out our land to other people. So who will come and move us? The new owners with the titles. The Minister have been buying time by lying to us, by betraying us, by fooling us. But he can't fool us anymore."
This morning, we contacted Minister of State King for a response. He told us quote, "(My) only comment is in my press release. I can't do an interview as there is a law suit being lodged in the courts…This is now a court matter." End Quote.
That press release he was referring to was sent yesterday to the media, and it says, quote, "…The Minister reiterates that efforts have resulted in the relocating of 10 families behind the project line, 8 families to Cotton Tree. The Minister wishes to inform residents that squatters must prepare to be relocated as the Government, through the Lands Department maintains a zero tolerance policy for squatting." End Quote.
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