Veiraisi residents worried about their houses getting dismantled and also about youths stealing their iron and timber

Soon-to-be-evicted residents of Veiraisi Settlement in Nadera have even more to worry about now apart from their houses getting dismantled and their belongings getting wet in the rain, and that is youths stealing their items at night.

Eseta Rokoniu and her family had their house dismantled on Wednesday and since then her husband has covered their house materials with a tarpaulin under which he has stayed to guard their belongings every night.

She says this is because after one of their community meetings the other night, they found out that some youths were asking other residents at the other end of the settlement if they wanted to buy roofing iron and wood that they would sell to them for cheap.

Rokoniu has moved her seven children and some of their belongings to her uncle’s place nearby but she says the reality is they have nowhere to go after they received the court eviction order.

Inise Rinasau who is Eseta’s sister says that some of the residents of Veiraisi Settlement are not going to work right now because they are worried about their houses being demolished and their belongings getting wet.

The 21 families of Veiraisi Settlement who were included in the court order to have their houses taken down are asking the government of the day and the Nasinu Land Purchase and Housing Co-operative Society Limited, where they can move to.

Nasinu Land Purchase is saying that it is in the court’s hands and it will not make any further comments.

We have sent questions to Minister for Local Government, Premila Kumar and Minister for Housing, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.