By Garwin Davis,
Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
CHARGES OF corruption are being levelled against workers connected to the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) by squatters who were last week forcibly removed from the agency's Barrett Hall property in St. James.
According to the squatters, the workers collected money from them for the land which they were occupying. More than 70 of the houses were demolished last week on orders from the UDC.
"See, here is my receipt for $50,000," explained Richard Brown, a squatter whose structure was demolished. "There are a lot of people like myself who paid money to UDC people and were assured that the land was ours. How can you collect people's money and then turn around and do this to them?"
The Gleaner, during a visit to the area last week, saw a number of receipts that squatters claimed to have received from persons who were selling land on behalf of the state agency. "Is $40,000 I paid for my plot," charged an irate Polly Greenwood, whose house was demolished. "Dem tek you money and now dem turn round and mash up what you struggle to build."
The squatters said that the relatively modest prices being charged for the lots enticed a number of them to fork out money to pay persons who identified themselves as representing the UDC. They are also alleging that titles were promised to them.
But according to the UDC's communication manager, Lorna Clarke, the Corporation had not authorised anyone to conduct any transaction regarding land on the agency's behalf. "This was brought to our attention today that people are alleging to have paid money to occupy land belonging to the UDC," said Ms. Clarke told The Gleaner yesterday. "We gave no such authorisation and we will have to investigate."
Ms. Clarke noted that she found the allegations troubling and is appealing to squatters to furnish the agency with the names of people they had paid their money to along with other relevant information that could assist the UDC in its investigations. "We will definitely be asking our Montego Bay office to look into this matter which would be a scam if true," she emphasised.
Ms. Clarke said that it was not the intention of the UDC to deprive people of their dwellings but that the agency was forced to carry out last week's demolition exercise. "The land is earmarked for development," she said. "They were warned by the Prime Minister not to erect any new structures and a lot of them went ahead and did it anyway. This has left the UDC with no alternative but to take drastic action to remove the recent structures which are in clear violation of the development and this development cannot proceed in an orderly way if this illegal activity is allowed to continue."
Edmund Bartlett, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) caretaker for the area, said that he was troubled by the allegations, which he said, if true, was paramount to fraud. "These are some very serious and damning allegations that require an immediate investigation," Mr. Bartlett said. "Two people came to me today with receipts from someone who is supposed to be a ranger employed to the UDC who had collected a total of $70,000 from them. "If the people have paid for the lots then legally they have a right to be there. I am calling for a halt to the bulldozing exercise until a complete and thorough investigation is conducted into this matter."
