SANYANG VDC CLAIMS NEW PORT PROJECT WILL AFFECT 3,000 NOT 461 PROPERTIES
The Sanyang Village Development Committee (VDC) issued a statement yesterday claiming that the planned new ports project will affect 3,000 properties instead of the 461 projected by the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA).
The GPA announced that about 461 properties and settlements were to be affected by the government’s ports expansion project in Sanyang.
But in the statement issued yesterday, the Sanyang VDC said it conducted its own survey and came to the conclusion that 3,000 properties and settlements will be affected.
The community challenged the GPA to produce the master plan of the deep sea port. to clear doubts on the actual number of properties that will affected by the project before any further negotiations can take place.
It accused the GPA of misleading the public on the estimated properties that will be affected by the DSP project.
“Our assessment on the flyers issued to property owners by GPA revealed that these properties include hotels, beach bars, guesthouses, lodges, canteens, stalls, residential properties, schools, among others,” the VDC said.
VDC chairman Abdoulie Boto Gaye recounted that villagers of Sanyang have been demanding a copy of the master plan from the GPA since 19th October 2024 to no avail.
“We made these demands in the presence of the Minister of Works and Infrastructure, Ebrima Sillah, who assured us that by January, the master plan will be available, but until today, we have not received it,” he said.
He said the community was agitated when GPA went ahead to distribute notices to settlements without addressing the local committee’s concerns.
Mr Gaye said the VDC alone stand to lose over 200 properties along the beach, including restaurants, beach bars, lodges, residential properties and other businesses.
“We have assessed more than 3,000 properties located in the areas that they earmarked. This is what has traumatised and frustrated many residents who are now confused about what could happen next after the announcement that they would be evicted,” he said.
Dr Seedy Bojang, chairman of the Sanyang Deep Sea Port, disclosed that the people of Sanyang appreciate the project but are concerned about its impact on the residents.
He said if the GPA failed to move ahead with the project, “it would create a lot of trouble” for the people of the community.
Dr Bojang advised the GPA to suspend all work until “a pre-entry meeting” is held with the villagers of Sanyang and all relevant stakeholders.
Malang Njie, a member of the Sanyang Diaspora, called for transparency and full disclosure of all details entailed in the contract.
The Standard attempted to contact both Minister of Works Ebrima Sillah and GPA Managing Director Ousman Jobarteh for reaction, but they couldn’t be reached on their pick mobile phones.
Source: The Standard
