HGP Nightly News – Residents of the Mocha squatting area on the East Bank of Demerara have issued an urgent plea for fair treatment, as opposition parliamentarians visited the community to document concerns affecting approximately 375 households.
During the visit led by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and other We Invest in Nationhood members, residents detailed a litany of longstanding issues, chief among them anxiety over potential relocation. Many have lived in the area for decades and fear being displaced without adequate compensation or the opportunity to remain.
“One resident complained that government wants to give them $71,000 for relocation, that is a pittance for someone that lived there for four decades,” the party reported.
The relocation concern is compounded by a genuine safety hazard. A Guyana Power and Light transmission line runs directly across the settlement, raising serious safety questions. Residents acknowledged that moving may be necessary but pleaded for first preference to purchase lands in any resettlement process.
Beyond the threat of displacement, the community faces crumbling infrastructure that has gone unaddressed for generations. Internal roads have been in a deplorable condition for approximately thirty years, according to residents. A community ground that once served as a gathering space has not been utilised for several years due to its deteriorated state.
Compounding these issues is a chronic water problem. A pipe installed just outside the ballfield has been leaking since its installation, affecting water pressure throughout the area. Residents reported making numerous complaints over time, but no action has been taken.
WIN stated that residents expressed a willingness to cooperate with authorities and are seeking a fair and supportive approach moving forward.
The party’s statement concluded with a direct appeal: “WIN calls on the government of Guyana to do justly by its citizens.”
With 375 households watching anxiously, the fate of the Mocha squatting area now rests on whether those calls are heeded.
