A 52-year-old woman, and her son were forcefully removed from their family home in Lae, allegedly by officers from the National Housing Commission following a court order that was obtained on the December 13.
Helen Bis, said the court ordered them to vacate their house within 7 days starting on Tuesday, before December 19.
Bis, who has been living in her family home for 34 years, was forced to remove her properties so that another person can move into the house.
There’s a dispute over ownership. Helen is a widow. She says, she and her husband had bought off the house in full in 1998. But the NHC says the three-bedroom house described as Section-36, Allotment-30 at Doyle street belongs to them.
Helen says, her late husband,Tigia Bis, bought off the house through a 10-year salary deduction.
However, they were still waiting to receive the title since 1998 when her husband died in 2011.
Since then she has continued fighting to get her housing title until she was served a court order on Tuesday.
Today, Helen and her son had to watch helplessly as police officers following a court order given to them,ordered her to remove her properties out of the house so that another occupant can move in.
Fruit trees in the yard were taken down.
She told EMTV, she was not given any eviction notice. The court order was the only document that was served on her.
This case is not the first that has happened. Many other families living in NHC houses have experienced similar situations.
Helen, is appealing to authorities to help her and her son get their family house back.
Meanwhile, the Acting Provincial Manager of NHC in Morobe, Matthew Limu, said late this afternoon that he has no idea of the circumstance of the purchase being made.
But, maintained that it is understood that the house may have been purchased by the other party, while it was previously owned by the National Housing Corporation.
Limu at this time could not say anything further on the matter, as they had no involvement in the eviction.
