WESTERN BUREAU — The charitable organisation, Food for the Poor, has withdrawn its planned donation of 50 houses to residents who live in the flood-prone areas of Trelawny because of the unavailability of lands to erect the units.

Chairman of the Trelawny Ministers Fraternal, Reverend Eron Henry, whose committee was put in charge of overseeing the distribution of the houses, told the Observer on Wednesday that Food for the Poor had deployed the houses to other parishes. He explained that Food for the Poor had planned to donate the houses on the condition that the beneficiaries were the legitimate owners of lands or have at least a 10-year lease.

“More than a year ago, the Member of Parliament (Wendell Stewart) made a commitment to provide lands within six months to erect the houses but the lands were not forthcoming. As a result, the houses were diverted,” Henry said.

Last January, heavy rains caused widespread flooding and damage to several homes and roads across Trelawny.

After the rains, Stewart told the residents in Zion and a section of Falmouth, which is called 75 Market Street, that those who were flooded out of their homes would be relocated within six months. They would be placed, he said, on government owned lands in the communities of Hague and Daniel Town.

He also assured the residents that he was able to secure 50 houses from Food for the Poor, as part of the relocation exercise.

But on Wednesday, a disappointed Stewart pointed the finger at the various government organisations which he claimed are responsible for the slow pace at which the planned relocation exercise is progressing.

According to him, government’s bureaucracy was to be blamed for the delay in the planned relocation of more than 200 families living in flood-prone areas of the parish.

“The lands and the housing ministry, which have the responsibility to co-ordinate the project is not synchronising their efforts to get the project off the ground,” the MP maintained.

He said, however, that he was not daunted by the setback and was confident that the project would come to fruition in the near future.

“We now have a new minister of lands and he seems to be very proactive so I know that he will be trying his best to deal with the matter,” Stewart said.

He added that as soon as lands are made available he would again approach Food for the Poor to provide housing assistance for the affected residents.

Stewart, who the ruling People’s National Party have made clear will not be given a chance to run again because he has failed to perform, also hit out at the government, arguing that it was not doing enough to contain squatting.

“You just can’t allow people to continue squatting on the lands and then wait until it gets out of hand before you take action,” the Trelawny MP said.

He added that he was also calling on the government to take the necessary steps to regularise squatter settlements in the Mack Hill, Vanzie Lands, Kinloss and Cockburn Pen communities of Trelawny.

“There are over 5,000 residents squatting on government owned lands in these communities without proper infrastructure,” Stewart said.