KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government has given warning that it will be ramping up efforts to get rid of squatter settlements across some of the island’s toughest communities.

“If we are to succeed in our efforts to address squatting, it is important that it be recognised as a national programme in the true sense and not a political ploy by any administration to impact the distribution of votes in the communities. Work that will be done in Mongoose Town for example, must not be seen as an attempt to undermine the Leader of the Opposition. Similarly, the proposed redevelopment of Rasta City is not an attempt to introduce new votes,” Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Development, Dr Horace Change outlined, in his 2017/18 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives.

He stressed that relocation of some people is the only way to adequately upgrade the infrastructure in some of these informal settlements.

“Some settlements are located in environmentally sensitive areas and they simply cannot be allowed to remain…this administration has already demonstrated that we are not afraid to take the tough decisions and so where relocation is necessary, we will do so, but rest assured that this will be done in a manner that results in minimal dislocation to the affected persons. If this programme is to succeed, it must have the support of both sides of the House and to this end the ministry will actively engage all affected Members of Parliament,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Chang also announced that Cabinet has given the nod to merge the Real Estate Board, the Commission of Strata Corporations and the Registrar of Timeshare into a single Real Estate Authority of Jamaica.

“As part of that process, the Board has now been tasked with merging the various pieces of legislation governing real estate: the Real Estate (Dealers and Developers) Act, the Registration (Strata Titles) Act and the Timeshare Vacations Act. The Board has also been asked to conduct research into the development of legislation to govern gated communities, which will be integrated into the merged legislation,”

The minister said these developments are aimed at ensuring that Jamaica has a dynamic and credible real estate sector, and that it is in keeping with the thrust of the Government towards public sector reform.

Alphea Saunders