Couple accepts $3.4m compensation for highway lands

A SOUTH Oropouche couple has accepted an offer of a little over $3.4 million in compensation for several acres of land they owned which had been acquired by the State for the extension of the Solomon Hochoy Highway to Point Fortin.

The couple, who asked that they not be identified because of the prevailing crime situation in the country, filed a constitutional motion in the High Court, last year, seeking declarations and compensation of $6 million for their land.

They argued that the State took possession, destroyed several fruit crops, and failed to compensate them for their losses as prescribed by the Land Acquisition Act.

On November 4, the Ministry of Works and Transport made the offer of $3,453, 210 to the couple, which they accepted.

The matter was settled before Justice Betsy Ann Lambert-Peterson, who was presiding over the claim, in the exact term of the sum offered by the State. Having signed off on the consent order, the judge also vacated the hearing of the matter which had been fixed for Thursday.

In their claim, the couple said there were many other people whose lands were acquired by the State for the highway extension and had been paid compensation for their property, but they were yet to receive any compensation. They were told on May 25, 2012, that their lands were to be acquired.

The couple was represented by attorneys Gerald Ramdeen and Dayadai Harripaul while the Chief State Solicitor’s office represented the Attorney General.

In their lawsuit, the couple said they always intended to advance their careers in the agricultural sector by establishing their own business and developing the acres of land they purchased in Siparia.

Their land was on Lake Road, Mon Desir, and they said they chose that location because of the soil content.

They intended to establish a tilapia farm and hired a contractor to dig ponds for the project.

The couple said they also constructed a green house on the land to produce seedlings for sale to farmers and spent considerable money for that project.

“Since the greenhouse was demolished, I have not been able to re-establish the greenhouse, and my loss of income from this part of my operations has been substantial,” the husband said in his affidavit. They also said when the State took possession of the land, they had four acres of citrus trees or 1,200 plants in total.

The claim said when the State took possession of the land and graded it for the highway, three acres with 900 plants were destroyed and from the one acre that was not destroyed, they were able to sell the fruit.

Inter-cropped among the citrus trees were plantain trees, which were also destroyed or what were saved were also sold. The couple said they would have lost income from the sale of the plantain and the suckers.

Cassava crops, coconut and the tilapia ponds were also destroyed.

The claim also said their two separate parcels of land were valued at $10 million in total.