Rock Hall folk still in limbo

An emergency relocation programme launched five years ago to move 253 households from squatting on a former dump on the outskirts of the Grantley Adams International Airport has all but ground to a halt, with only 32 families resettled and the remainder accusing Government of “political posturing” at their expense.

The exercise, which began in earnest in 2021 at the Rock Hall squatters village, has been on hold with field officers pulled off the job since last December, when the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Housing ordered them to stand down pending an unspecified restructuring.

The Weekend Nation contacted Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing, Nicole Johnson, who it is understood is in charge of the Rock Hall relocation project. However, three weeks after the initial contact was made, Johnson has not responded to our queries about the project even though she promised to do so after consultation with the permanent secretary.