Scores of homes in Half Die, Banjul South could be demolished to make way for port expansion.

According to the managing director of the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA), Ousman M Jobarteh, the Half Die area was earmarked by Government as a natural expansion area of the Port and that the affected residents would be compensated.

Jobarteh said the first phase of the acquisition of properties in Half Die was started in 2012 and that they were working on the second phase of acquisition called Basic Yard Extension.

He said the Port Management have recruited an independent consulting firm to undertake the valuation exercise to guide their negotiations with property owners for the acquisition.

Jobarteh said that property owners will be compensated for both the land and structures on them, adding that Banjul properties are freehold and should be acquired in this manner. He promised that the acquisition process will be guided by best practice for the relocation of residents.

Jobarteh said during the first phase, property owners were allocated alternative plots of land to enable the families to construct their own houses.

He said shop owners and other economic operators within the affected areas were also compensated for their loss of earnings over a given period, with a view to alleviate their hardship.   

However some of the affected residents of Half Die, Banjul South did not share Jobarteh’s generous views. Some of the residents who requested to be anonymous accused the GPA of dictating the cost of the acquisition instead of allowing the owners of properties to determine the true cost and valuation of their properties.  

They alleged that some of the land owners of the first phase were still yet to receive their full payments from the GPA adding that others were left out of pocket and leaving in rented accommodation because the monies they received were not enough to buy plots of lands.