By Robert A Emmanuel
The Political Leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Harold Lovell has insisted that the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) administration has mismanaged the situation regarding the Booby Alley Redevelopment Project.
The Booby Alley Housing Project has been a thorn in the side of the government since 2018, and to date, some residents in the area continue to resist government efforts to relocate them.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Antigua Barbuda Workers Union (ABWU) yesterday, Lovell stated that government should have been more compassionate in their approach to residents who were concerned whether they would be able to return to the area.
“This problem was approached in the wrong way from the very beginning, and things that tend to start wrong, inevitably will have a bad ending.
“This should have never been a confrontational issue; it was important and necessary for the Prime Minister from the outset to have given the residents of Booby Alley the assurance that they would have acquired equity in the right to return to that location,” Lovell articulated.
He added: “It is also important to state that we are not absolutely clear what the terms of the Chinese grant or loan is … if these funds were for the benefit of the residents of Booby Alley, then they ought to benefit as intended.”
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Gaston Browne threatened residents remaining in the area with a court order to vacate the area, making way for a Housing Redevelopment Project.
The frustration and threats from the Prime Minister followed several years of delays in the project dating back to 2018 when it was first announced.
Since then, protests and resistance from residents have occurred.
Media reports are that Chinese technicians were in the area on Monday, visiting the site in preparation for the next phase.
In August 2021, a housing agreement was signed between the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and the People’s Republic of China to build 150 two-bedroom units in the area.