Former Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Housing Brensil Rolle said yesterday the Christie administration's new policy on shantytowns is a recycled version of the one that the Ingraham administration started before it was voted out of office.
Rolle, who headed the former government's initiative to clean up shantytowns in 2010, said the previous government caused thousands of squatters to be moved from government owned land.
Housing Minister Kenred Dorsett announced on Thursday that the government intends to crack down on shantytowns in The Bahamas. He said there will be consequences for people who live in such areas if they are not operating within the law.
Going forward, he said, shantytown occupiers will be required to provide an occupancy certificate, approved building plan permit from the Ministry of Works, approved Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) connection and approved Water and Sewerage connection.
He said if these cannot be produced, the Ministry of Works will take the necessary action.
But Rolle said this is nothing new.
"This is what we did," he said.
"In approaching the areas that were owned by the government we sent in a team of officials from the various agencies and assessed the physical environments.
"Once we did that, they came back with an indication of what was on the ground. We then set in motion a process to have persons removed from the shantytowns. We posted notices, and we had informational meetings with public dwellers.
"We then identified how much time they had to vacate the government's property."
He said the team included officials from the Department of Social Services, the Department of Immigration, the police force, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Housing.
Rolle said once the land was vacated, the government turned it over to the Ministry of Housing to be used for the development of low cost housing subdivisions.
"We did that in five specific areas where there were shantytowns," he said. "So what Minister Dorsett offered [on Thursday] was simply a plan that was already in place. But he's now announcing it as if it's their government's plan."
He said clean up efforts were carried out at Su Rock, Margaret Yard, Government Yard, Mackey Yard and another unnamed shantytown on Fire Trail Road.
While he could not recall the total number of squatters affected, Rolle said in the case of Mackey Yard, over 1,500 people were forced to move. He added that between 900 and 1,200 squatters on Fire Trail also vacated that land.
"So instead of the minister making these broad statements, he just needs to continue the plan and clean up the shantytowns," Rolle said.
Former Minister of State for Immigration Branville McCartney said he doubts the Christie administration has the fortitude required to clean up the shantytowns.
"No one has the political will to deal with it," said McCartney, leader of the Democratic National Alliance.
"It's sounds good, but I'm curious about whether they will act on it.
He said he is skeptical about Rolle's "claims" about the clean up efforts that the former government carried out.

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