The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

DEMOLITION activities began in the All Saints Way shanty town yesterday.

Ministry of Works and Family Island Affairs assistant civil engineer Bahiyyah Hepburn said the number of structures that will be demolished fluctuates as officials do research.

Works and Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting had previously said 162 structures in the Kool Acres and All Saints Way shanty towns would be demolished. But Luther Smith, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works, said on Friday the task force was not targeting many structures in All Saints Way.

“We are doing this in different stages,” Ms Hepburn told Eyewitness News. “Once we’ve identified and we’ve done our final confirmation for demolition then we go in and we demolish.”

Superintendent Stephen Carey said a team of about 40 to 50 defence force and police force officers went into All Saints Way.

“We had the dog unit. We had the fire department. We checked all of the structures before they were demolished,” he added.

He said one home they checked still had people inside. The people who requested more time to find a place to stay were allowed to remain for the day, but were informed they had to vacate the structure.

Myles Laroda, State Minister for Social Services, revealed on Sunday that 18 rooms at the Poinciana Arena on Bernard Road have been leased to provide housing assistance to Bahamians displaced by shanty town demolitions.

The Unregulated Communities Action Task Force demolished the Kool Acres shanty town earlier this month.