THE Office of National Reconstruction (ONR) last Friday broke ground in Bourkesfield, Old Harbour Bay, St Catherine, to construct 120 houses to relocate people whose houses were flooded out during the passage of Hurricane Ivan last September.

Sited on a 40-acre plot, the two-bedroom houses will be constructed by New Era Homes 2000 Ltd, with the assistance of 80 Venezuelan soldiers.

Estimated to cost $70 million, infrastructure work is expected to begin this week and the project is scheduled for completion in December.

Danville Walker, the head of the ONR, said the concrete houses will be built on lots that are 6,000 and 8,000 square feet.

He told the residents that the ONR had taken aerial pictures of the squatter settlement and had recorded the number of houses currently on site. These homes, he said, will be demolished and suitable houses built.

Walker made it clear, however, that the houses were not free as residents would be required to make a payment. The payment plan has, however, not been worked out yet.

In the meantime, Walker said a proper drainage system will be constructed on the land, which has over the years been plagued by flooding. A modern sewerage system is also to be built.

In an interview after the groundbreaking ceremony, Walker said the ONR had already completed 325 homes – with the assistance of the Venezuelan soldiers – in flood-prone areas which were devastated by Hurricane Ivan last September.

One hundred were built at Rocky Point in Clarendon, 200 in Portland Cottage, also in Clarendon, and 25 at Brighton, Negril, Westmoreland.

He said Digicel has donated two multi-purpose community centres in Portland Cottage and Rocky Point at a cost of $12 million.

South West St Catherine Member of Parliament Everald Warmington was upbeat about the Old Harbour Bay project, pointing out that he had established the Old Harbour Bay Redevelopment Committee, which he said was bi-partisan, which selected beneficiaries for the Bourkesfield houses.

Beneficiaries have, however, not yet been advised.

“I have not seen the final list and I want to emphasise that the distribution of (the) houses have nothing to do with anyone’s political connection. I know that consideration was given to the most needy,” Warmington said.

He told the prospective owners to care the houses, clean the drains and roads, as he wanted a clean community “and not a ghetto or board village”.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan ambassador Madai Hernandez said her country was proud to be of assistance to the Jamaican people and the contingent of 80 soldiers, who are here building homes for victims of Hurricane Ivan, were working to complete the project on schedule.