The Punta Cana Group is carrying out efforts to put a stop to the creation of slum areas in the Punta Cana resort region. The resort development group, pioneer in the East Coast area, disputed property invasion by families for years. The judiciary finally ruled in their favor, but they agreed to not evict squatters until after the presidential election, conditioning it to the stop of new illegal constructions. The Punta Cana group is offering squatters to move to a development that is but 200 meters away from their present dwelling. There the families would have access to potable water, streets have been laid out, and they would be given property titles. The development also has areas for schools and for the construction of sports installations. Gregorio Abreu, spokesman for the company, emphasized in an interview in El Caribe newspaper that the illegal occupants of the Punta Cana property will be much better off in the new development than in the slum area they have created on Punta Cana land. Recently, occupants of the disputed Veron area, violently protested along the Punta Cana highway. The dispute took place when a police patrol detecting a new construction was going up and demanded that it be dismantled. Abreu expects the situation to be resolved as most of the illegal occupants are pleased with the offer, and others that have not yet accepted will do so at the moment of the actual eviction. These say they fear threats from the group that is still holding on to the property.
