St. Kitts Coastal residents will get immediate relief upon taking office says Lindsay Grant
Basseterre, St. Kitts- Leader of St. Kitts-Nevis’ main opposition party People’s Action Movement (PAM), Lindsay Grant declared that upon taking office his party will immediately provide relief to the coastal residents on the western side of the island.
Grant made the proclamation after “walking miles and miles along the western coast of St. Kitts between Old Road and New Guinea” and viewing firsthand the devastation and havoc Hurricane Omar wreaked on the homes and properties of a number of families in the area.
“I would like to address the plight of those who live in our coastal communities from Old Road through to New Guinea. As we are all aware the passage of Hurricane Omar on the unusual track that took it westward from the Caribbean Sea caused serious damage along our vulnerable leeward coast on both St. Kitts and Nevis. Many families have lost all their worldly possessions and are now homeless,” said Grant.
The PAM leader continued, “I can personally attest to this as I walked with my wife the entire distance from New Guinea to Old Road to inspect the damage and to comfort the homeowners. I can personally attest to this because when the homeowners cried out for help I mobilized cleanup crews on Saturday and Sunday and then on Monday and Tuesday of this week in the area of Old Road, Verchilds and Middle Island.
I was there with shovel and barrow feeling the pain, the hurt, the disgust of the Burnham family, of Valerie from Verchilds, of Bobo, of the Rogers family of Half Way Tree; all who had suffered tremendous damage. It is they who complained to me how when Lenny struck in 1999 the Labour government came to them with the same stuck record about relocating them,” said Grant while addressing the media during his Party’s monthly press conference.
Grant lamented that the families had been promised assistance in relocating by the government since the passage of Hurricane Lenny in 1999; however almost 10 years later ,the families are still awaiting the promised assistance and in the meantime a second Hurricane has once again devastated their homes and lives.
“These same families were put into this very same position just under ten years ago by the similarly unusual track of Hurricane Lenny in 1999 and were then promised by this Denzil Douglas Administration that they would be relocated to safer locations further inland.
~~Adz:Right~~ They waited patiently and expectantly but in vain. This is the pattern of Labour; whenever there is a crisis, they are quick out of the blocks with a world of promises but as we have all seen in far too many instances, the promises given by this Labour government have about as much value as the rubbish and rubble that is now strewn along our western coastline.”
Grant highlighted the fact that since 1999, $50 million dollars had been borrowed from Social Security and another $10 million from Venezuela to build houses; however the coastal residents, citizens and taxpayers alluded to were seemingly not considered in the housing plan of the government despite their promise of relocation.
“This is the same Administration that has borrowed $10 million USD from Venezuela for the purpose of building houses. This is the same Administration that has only recently borrowed $50 million from the Social Security fund for the purpose of building houses. This same administration has thrown away $270 million at La Valle for all but a galvanized fence and a corroded generator that would not work, yet it cannot find a penny to relocate and re-house those families in harm’s way. Is that how a responsible government sets priorities?” said the opposition party leader.
Grant reiterated his party’s commitment to the coastal residents from New Guinea to Old Road that upon taking office a PAM government they will immediately embark on a relocation and land reclamation project which will involve the immediate relocation of the residents and the reclamation and suring of all the coastal areas from Old Road Bay to New Guinea.
Grant emphatically stated, “A PAM government is committed, as we stated in our manifesto of 2004, to a major relocation of houses from New Guinea to Old Road. In the short term of a PAM government we would prohibit further construction in this area because of the proposed relocation of houses. We would begin negotiations with homeowners to ensure that they are not put in an unfavourable position because of the relocation.”
He continued, “The road from Old Road Bay to just before Brimstone Hill is a vital artery on the island main road. It has been shown that the mountainside along the Old Road Bay is structurally incapable of bearing the weight of a major road carrying the volume of traffic that moves along Old Road Bay on a daily basis.
A major land reclamation and road construction project is necessary to preserve access along this stretch of road. A government of the People’s Action Movement will ensure that the necessary project is high on our agenda to protect life and limb in this region and to ensure that this vital artery is protected for the future.”
The Old Road Bay and the Western Coastline has long been an issue of concern to residents and citizens of this country particularly in recent times where the coastline has receded dramatically, causing significant impact on the lives of coastal residents.
