The Nassau Guardian
Landowners want help in clearing shantytown
Landowners of a shantytown off Joe Farrington Road are appealing for people with demolition equipment to donate their time and services to help tear down structures that do not meet building codes, their attorney John Bostwick Jr. said yesterday.
Bostwick said a demolition order issued by the government to his clients expires at the end of the month. He said his clients do not have the money to hire work crews to demolish and clear away the structures.
The area was damaged by fire in July, leaving more than 100 people homeless and more than 30 structures razed. A few structures still remain on the site.
“I’m encouraging the greater Bahamian public, rather than be involved on the sidelines, throwing jeers, asking questions, advancing conspiracy theories and all the rest of it, that they can be involved from seeking to see what they can do to play a positive role in contributing to the solution,” he said.
“My clients are not in a financial position just to simply write a check and have bulldozers and dump trucks come out there and load up.
“Those people who have got that kind of equipment may be in the area or have been affected by a shantytown or squatters themselves and have access to the equipment, maybe they can lend of their services rather than just their negative comments.”
Bostwick said his clients have issued several notices to tenants to vacate their homes and have stopped collecting rent.
He also said while the government is busy trying to clean up shantytowns, it should also focus on regulating other “slum” communities in areas like Over-the-Hill.
“[In those communities] there are leading, black Bahamian families that own clapboard shacks without toilets, that are renting to Bahamians for successive generations. Those people fall into the category of slum landlords,” Bostwick said.
He said he wants to see revisions to legislation to prevent landlords from renting substandard premises to tenants.
“We need to have it where if you are renting properties to residents it should be at a certain standard,” Bostwick said.
“If you’re going to be able to collect rent for a person occupying a [place], the premises must be at a certain standard and it must have an indoor bathroom.
“How can it be legal in a county in 2013 to rent a wooden shack to somebody — no light, no running water. That should be illegal.”
Earlier this month, Environment Minister Ken Dorsett said the government may soon prosecute shantytown landowners who have not met environmental and building standards.
Bostwick has said his clients are not “overly concerned” about the government’s threat of prosecution.
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