Mona Charles, one of 60 Melville Hall residents who claimed to have been ordered by the government to vacate their homes immediately last year, has said that they are still waiting for a response from the relevant authorities on the matter.
The residents, who have squatted on the portion of land for several years, had called for dialogue with authorities after receiving eviction letters which they claimed came with no explanations or alternative housing options.
Charles, who is also chairperson of a newly-formed Melville Hall Development Committee, told Dominica News Online that the affected residents recently sent a letter to authorities and still have not gotten any response.
She claims that many of the residents are willing to purchase the property as they have no alternative land to build.
“At this time, we haven’t heard anything… Nobody came. We wrote a letter again couple weeks ago, and we haven’t heard anything so we are just waiting,” Charles told Dominica News Online (DNO).
“We will continue to ask the minister… if he could come or if he wants us to come down to speak to him because we the people of Melville Hall would like to purchase the land. We have nowhere else that we can put our houses. We would like the minister to come and have a sort of arrangement with the people. Let’s have a talk and negotiate something because we are very interested in purchasing the land,” Charles added.
Charles had previously told DNO that almost all residents in the area received letters which threatened court action of they did not immediately vacate the area.
“Some people been living there for about 40 years or more and some people have a lot of children and nowhere else to go to put their houses. We were kind of squatting. It’s government land. So what we want from them is, you know, if they need the land to do whatever they need, we just want to hear something. If they want the land or if they prepared to put us somewhere else or something like that,” she had stated late last year.
One of the letters presented to DNO by a resident was dated September 15, 2010 with the letter head of the Land and Survey Division from the Ministry of Housing, stated, “It has come to my notice that you have unlawfully cleared and occupied a portion of state land in the “State Land in Melville Hall” area. I am to inform you that unless you quit the area in question immediately, court action will be taken.”
The letter was signed by the director of surveys and commissioner of lands.
Charles told DNO at the time that they had an unsuccessful attempt in meeting with Reginald Austrie, the minister responsible. Only their parliamentary representative Edison James was allowed to see the minister, she stated.
According to her about 57 dwelling houses along with 27 foundations, which are under construction in the area, are being affected.
Charles had said last year, that just before the recent bi-elections in the area, the residents were told that they would have gotten the opportunity to purchase the lands.
Dominica News Online is seeking comments from the minister on the matter.
It’s is so wrong that people should rent a person land then refuse to pay rent in hope to acquire the land for themselves for free because the law is on there side. Only in D/ca such thing are uphold
I own land at Zicark Portsmouth. There a 2 tenants on the land who stop paying rent but has removed to move. I have have tried to avoid confrontation with them so I got a solicitor to act on my behalf who have written to them several times but they have completely ignored all form of correspondence for the law office which was delivered to them. Does anyone know what can and should I do now?
Boy it is such ashamed to see even our government mindset it still at the state of children. 1st of all it is totally disrespectful to just move a ppl like, especially living there for so many yrs. That’s y our country will always be diregarded or be little by others, bcaus our govt seemed to be taking on petty-minded things instead of creating work and better livlihood for the ppl.
Boyy I wonder what all of you will do when God shall take all away fr you?
Becaus I kno my dominican ppl is not serving God the Right way, y our country so misable.
Labor really run me away fr my love, fr my country.
MISS CHARLES,
BEING THAT YOU AND THE OTHERS HAVE SQUATTED THERE FOR SEVERAL YEARS WITHOUT ANY INTERRUPTION FROM THE GOVT, DON’T YOU THINK IT’S TIME THAT YOU ALL GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE AND ALLOW THAT PARCEL OF LAND BE USED FOR SOMETHING THAT WILL BENEFIT THE COUNTRY? THE ONLY PLACE WHERE FREE LAND IS GIVEN IS IN A CEMETERY. SOME DOMINICANS LOVE TO HAVE EVERYTHING FOR FREE, BUT IS WILLING TO GIVE NOTHING. IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY TO PURCHASE THIS LAND, WHY DON’T YOU USE IT TO PURCHASE A PIECE OF LAND SOME PLACE ELSE. (YES I KNOW, IT’S BECAUSE OF SKERRIT WHY YOU ARE SQUATTING) YOU STUPID UWP.
DOMINICA IS BECOMING A SQUATTERS’ PARADISE! IT IS UNFAIR THAT I HAVE TO BUY LAND AND OTHERS CAN JUST SQUAT!
mr james will use any leverage ,to put blame on the priminister.what did u do for them when u were pm? shame on u for using your “people” in your petty politics.sir i am losing respect for u!
The land for all of us. If they living on the land for so long just give it to them or sell it to them for 5 cents a square foot like we did for guiness. What government doing with the land? They giving our dominican people trouble to get land but white people buying up all of Calibishie. When dominicans going to get sense! This damn government is a joke. Either they help them people or leave them alone.
This racist attitude is sad.
– it’s we Dominicans selling our land in a free market, nobody is forcing us to do so and we are happy to take the money
– if not Dominican citizens, these “white” people, by law can not purchase more than 1 acre for private use (3 acres for commercial) and must pay an extra 10% fee of the purchase price to the Govt.
Would you stil feel “mentally free” if you were subjected to such rules in the U.S.A, Canada or Europe because you are “black”?Bet you’d be the first one to scream “prejudice”!!
I have one question to ask, AS WE ARE ON THE TOPIC OF LAND….
why is property so extremely expensive in Dominica.????
LAND OWNERS ARE ASKING WAY TOO MUCH FOR THE LAND can this be justified???. a law should be set up governing the PRICE AT WHICH land IS SOLD in dominica. can you imagine a 2×4 piece of land in the 100’000. region… MADNESS?
People purchase these properties and then the banks seize these properties because of lack of payments,
the rates from the banks are too high and land/ house are too pricey, JUST SEE HOW MUCH PROGRESS WILL EVENTUALLY HAPPEN IF THE BANKS REDUCES THIER HIGH INTEREST RATES, AND PROPERTY PRICES ARE RECONSIDERED.
sometimes the LAND ARE NOT EVEN WORTHY TO BUILD ANYTHING, AND DONT HAVE ANY AMENITIES. AND MOST TIMES THERE ARE NO ACCESS TO ROADS, WATER, AND LIGHT
THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE THAT MUST BE ADDRESSD
Now the people need E. JAMES, So many people without some where to build or live
why is austrie and skerro acting like that them people been there maybe since they were children now u want to take it from them ahhh that not fear give them the land for a low price or free or maybe skerro can give them some of them houses in savan paille how it spell
but these people have the right to go to the right to the land because they have been leaving on the land for more than 15 years people you must know your laws. they cant just put you out
Yes they can. Govt. owned land is exempt from squatters’ rights i.e. it does not matter how long you’ve squatted there, you can never claim ownership without the govt’s approval.
Man just give them people the land for free. Or do they prefer foreigners get it?
You cannot expect to squat or settle on property that is not yours and expect to enjoy the priviledges of that land. The people of Melville have to sit, wait and behave themselves, pure and simple.
If you want to have priviledges then get your own land, make an agreement to rent land from the government, work to pay it back then the land becomes yours or something but do not squat the land. This is an unjust practice.
now i totlaly agree with you on that one
A bad habit they have in D/CA. There are those that squat on private property, then have to nerve to go to court with no title in hand
I agree 100% with you..
So when skerritt offered squatters land for $1 that didn’t include the people of marigot. To all you fools, it is “illegal” to make a statement like “government is offering persons squating on government the opportunuty to own those land at $1” but only give that opportunity to some people. the statement was an open one therefore the people of marigot have legitimate expectation to the same treatment. They should not move and do all they can to get this land or to be offered other suitable lands.
FOR A MUSLIM YU STRANGE BOI ,I THOUGHT IT WAS SHARE BROTHER SHARE? I WONDER WHAT MOHAMMAD WOULD SAY ABOUT YOUR STATEMENT.HMMM
Ok fine. Then don’t just target these people. There are people all arround dominica that living on land that they never pay for. They should just pass a blanklet law for everybody already living on government land to pay some fine then own the land. And we need to stop selling all our land to foriegners. They don’t want us in their country what they want in ours?
They have no respect for the people of marigot because they do not support the labour regime.government is for all the people not one set.skerrit and his regime is full of bull
The first sign of no regard for the Marigot people ame from the man who was palrep and PM.he did not see the need to help his own people.How funny and negative some people are!Leave it to Mr.Skerritt,they will get the land.If it was me,i’d be more than happy to get my portion.Government help them please,but Mr.James did not have you the people’s interest at heart.FLOPS..FLOPS.Now he is trying to take action.
You people need to learn from the Grand Bay Maroons.Take the land like they did in
Geneva in 73.
From whom did they take the land in 73? the govt??
would you like your mother to have land and for squatters to rake over her land, i don’t think you would like that. think before you talk….
Where is your parl rep? one meeting with Austrie that’s it? No demonstration or street protest?, No PayPal account to rais money for you guys?, No lawyers flying in to help?, No nothing? Guess dual citizenship is the bread and butter issue in the Marigot Melville Hall constituency. Be happy, your parl rep has put all effort and money behind that.
true that.some people prioritiesare backward.anyting for power.
BLA BLA BLA MONA
YEs let her blah blah blah. She was in good house, well squatters lot call her. Now she blah blah blah! I am sure she has land in Calibishie. That place is unsightly, all politics aside., The Government should move quick to get them going, especially we will be receiving lots of visitors to the island very soon, for the carnival season. What a welcome into the island! A bunch of badly built shanties, no standard, no control. Get the stepping Mona!
TEY HEY TORRY DEH A TIME WAH NOR DEY
Why do you have a representative. He should be doing the work you doing now. When he was prime Minister, he should have done that. Now he needs to do the lobbying work for you all. It seems he do not care. (Next Election I think You (Charles) should go for election for UWP.