THE EDITOR, Sir:

PLEASE ALLOW me to use this medium to address the prime minister on a matter of significant interest.

Dear Mr Prime Minister,

I have tried nine times for the entire programme on your Jamaica House Live programme to address this matter without success. I am aware of your interest in having the land development approval process to operate efficiently, the squatter epidemic to be drastically curtailed and the crime situation to be drastically reduced.

However, the actions of certain government agencies, under the guise of official government policy, are undermining the goals that central government is seeking to achieve. For example, the planning officer of the National Works Agency (NWA) is refusing approval for small subdivision in deep rural districts on the grounds that government policy is against multiple access to public roads. This is inspite of the fact that because of the low vehicle usage and the poor conditions of these roads, there is absolutely no traffic hazard being caused by allowing the access.

This action is not only stymieing development in these areas, as the added infrastructure cost would put the lots outside the economic range of the persons being targeted, but would also mean increasing the stock of roads to be maintained by central government or the parish council. This is happening in a country that has more roads per square mile than most countries and the Government is struggling to find $57.6 billion to fix existing roads as stated by Minister of State Joseph Hibbert.

Restrictions needed

This policy by the NWA is absurd and tyrannical because in all other traffic solutions, the road usage is an overriding factor. For example, on the newly constructed North Coast Highway, some intersections are controlled by stop signs, while others have stoplights, while others have fly-over roads, depending on the road usage.

On the other hand, persons who are squatting on lands have no such restrictions to consider, like minimum road width, turning bays, sewage disposals or access to public roads. Even when these squatters are to be evicted after long, tedious, expensive litigation, the member of parliament and other public figures are busily advocating a stay of the eviction in order to find suitable places for their relocation.

Is government against squatting?

We are all aware of the criminality issues associated with these squatter settlements, especially when they are located near large urban centres, to know that it is imperative to discourage the development of these settlements.

But, Mr Prime Minister, how can we convince rural folks that we are against squatting, when squatters are given maximum support by government officials to achieve housing solutions, while self-reliant, ambitious, law-abiding folks are denied their dreams of affordable housing solutions by unreasonable government subdivision approval conditions?

I am, etc.,

AINSWORTH DICK