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Demolitions 'with decency' - but Bannister says it's not up to him to take care of displaced residents

Wed, May 19th 2021, 04:22 PM
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WORKS Minister Desmond Bannister has stressed the demolition of homes in the Farm shanty town in Abaco will be done with decency but said it is not his responsibility to take care of residents displaced by the destruction of their houses.

“That might sound harsh,” he told reporters before a Cabinet meeting yesterday, “but when they went out there and built in direct contravention of the law, they knew or ought to have known that they were breaching the law of The Bahamas.
#“They’ve gotten notices now for more than 28 days and they’ve done nothing. It’s very important for them to use their resources, whatever resources they had to build the house in the first place, they could’ve applied in accordance with the law and be able to lawfully construct something just as any of y’all would do.”
#Mr Bannister confirmed that on Friday the government began the third phase of its plan to demolish shanty houses that were built since a Supreme Court ruling in December 2018 ordered the government not to demolish the shanty structures that existed at that time. That ruling also ordered residents not to build any new shanty houses.
#Mr Bannister said the structures currently targeted for destruction “are being constructed directly contrary to a Supreme Court order that said you are not to construct any shanty houses or you’re not to enlarge them or anything like that.”
#The Tribune on Sunday spoke to a man who said dealing with the destruction of his house has been a nightmare. He said he has been separated from his girlfriend and her two-year-old daughter while they figure out their next move.
#The Bahamian man said he built his house in The Farm after Hurricane Dorian destroyed his home in Marsh Harbour. He said he knew what he was doing was against the law but hoped to make it work until he could get back on his feet.
#Mr Bannister said the Ministry of Works has gone out of its way to let residents secure their belongings even after they ignored notices to leave the premises.
#“… We are doing it with decency, notwithstanding the illegality that these houses were built with,” he said.

“That might sound harsh,” he told reporters before a Cabinet meeting yesterday, “but when they went out there and built in direct contravention of the law, they knew or ought to have known that they were breaching the law of The Bahamas.

“They’ve gotten notices now for more than 28 days and they’ve done nothing. It’s very important for them to use their resources, whatever resources they had to build the house in the first place, they could’ve applied in accordance with the law and be able to lawfully construct something just as any of y’all would do.”

Mr Bannister confirmed that on Friday the government began the third phase of its plan to demolish shanty houses that were built since a Supreme Court ruling in December 2018 ordered the government not to demolish the shanty structures that existed at that time. That ruling also ordered residents not to build any new shanty houses.

Mr Bannister said the structures currently targeted for destruction “are being constructed directly contrary to a Supreme Court order that said you are not to construct any shanty houses or you’re not to enlarge them or anything like that.”

The Tribune on Sunday spoke to a man who said dealing with the destruction of his house has been a nightmare. He said he has been separated from his girlfriend and her two-year-old daughter while they figure out their next move.

The Bahamian man said he built his house in The Farm after Hurricane Dorian destroyed his home in Marsh Harbour. He said he knew what he was doing was against the law but hoped to make it work until he could get back on his feet.

Mr Bannister said the Ministry of Works has gone out of its way to let residents secure their belongings even after they ignored notices to leave the premises.

“… We are doing it with decency, notwithstanding the illegality that these houses were built with,” he said.

 

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