Order pass power:

Gov’t caterpillars destroy houses at HTTTC K’ba site

-Demolitions leave at least 12 families homeless and helpless

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

At least 12 families have been rendered homeless following the demolition exercise carried out by government on 21 April 2017 on the land allocated to host permanent structures of the Higher Technical Teacher’s Training College, HTTTC, Kumba. The demolition exercise comes barely 13 days after a visit to the site by the Divisional Officer for Kumba III, Gilbert BaldenaGubai in which he banned further construction works on structures on the disputed land. The DO’s ban it should be recalled was aimed at putting an end to fresh construction works so as to help government better assess the already constructed structures for compensation.

                Contrary to the demand of the inhabitants who had presented a cartographic map to the DO demanding compensation worth 13 hectares on same land measuring some over 500 hectares, the administration has taken on the offensive measure by demolishing structures.

                Reacting to the situation, authorities ordered caterpillars to crush down structures supposedly put up after the ban as well as those on which further works had been done. The bulldozers destroyed structures both completed and uncompleted for defying administrative sanctions. The helpless owners watched in agony as the demolition exercise was conducted in the presence of the administrative, judicial and security personnel. The demolition was equally done in the presence of the officials in charge with demarcating the said land.

                Some of the inhabitants whose structures have not been destroyed so far told this reporter those destroyed is as a result of the insubordination of the population foiling administration actions and decisions. They added this recent move by government will scare others from embarking into further construction works on the land and this will help put an end to the crisis as government will adequately assess the structures for compensation.

                As controversy over the said land rages on, the news making the rounds and spreading like wild fire in Kumba holds that officials in the Division in charge of land and surveys have reportedly issued land titles to the occupants of the site despite administrative warnings all in a bit to feed fat on the present imbroglio.

                In the same light, it is also alleged that some individuals have been feeding fat on the helpless and desparate population occupying land on the said site by collecting FCFA 50000 each on the pretext of guaranting them protection from any government action.

                What many inhabitants still ponder on is whether the government demolition exercise will extend to all the structures on the site or whether government will give a listening ear to the 13 hectares demanded by the inhabitants as compensation.