[UPDATED] Chief Sec: THA was clear about subsidised land

Chief Secretary Ancil Dennis has defended the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) after calypsonian Alex “Tobago Chalkie” Gift threatened legal action over access to a parcel of land at the Shirvan Road Development.

Gift was one of the residents affected by the ANR Robinson International Airport expansion project.

The calypsonian said he was offered the land by the THA as part of the compensation package after the State acquired his land for the project.

He maintains he was given permission to begin construction there since September by an agent/servant of the Airport Relocation Committee (ARC), and did so.

He said he then received a letter from the ARC in January offering him the same land at a cost of $153,999.30.

Dennis, although not in receipt of a hard copy of the pre-action protocol letter from Gift, said the THA has been transparent from early about the lands provided for affected residents.

Dennis said on Wednesday, "I did not receive the legal letter but of course I did see it circulating on social media. The legal personnel from the Tobago House of Assembly will respond as required.

“I would say that the Assembly has been very clear on its policy with respect to those land developments. We have said from very early on, since we approved that policy months ago, that we were going to make lands available at Shirvan at a price of $30 per square foot, which is a highly discounted price, and also at Cove for the purposes of commercial activities at a price of I think $40 per square foot, so we were very clear.”

The THA, in a press release on Tuesday, said it had moved in to stop the construction on several new plots of land at the Shirvan Estate Land Development, Mt Pleasant. It said although the plots have been earmarked for residents affected by the airport expansion project, there is a protocol to be followed.

In Gift's pre-action protocol letter, his attorney Janelle Ramsaroop, of Martin George and Company, gave the assembly seven days to respond to their queries and requests.

Ramsaroop said, “We are calling upon the THA to provide the legal basis upon which it has demanded this sum...from our client. We further call upon you to provide any documents which show that the THA had previously notified our client that he would be expected to pay such a sum of money in exchange for the said lot of land on Shirvan Road.”

She said the ARC's letter in January said the land offer would only be valid for 45 days from the date of correspondence.

She added, "The palpable absurdity of the THA either backdating the correspondence or delivering it to our client past the due date speaks volumes as to the manner in which the THA has managed, or shall we say mismanaged this entire land acquisition process."

She said Gift was promised a deed of lease for the lot, but at no point in the previous correspondence was that contingent on his paying for the land.

He had "subsequently invested all his savings into the construction of his dream home for himself and his family after having uprooted his entire life from his childhood home."

But she said Gift "has now been physically blocked from entering the said lot of land by several agents and/or servants of the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries, and the Environment, acting under the instructions of persons such as Allison Williams, Allan Richards and Qwesi DesVignes (sic).

She said although Gift did not have "a paper title" to the land, he had equity in it, given that he had spent his savings to build and develop it.

This story was originally published with the title "Tobago Chalkie, THA feud over $153k 'compensation' land" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Alex “Tobago Chalkie” Gift has threatened the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) with legal action over access to a parcel of land at the Shirvan Road Development. Gift was one of the residents affected by the ANR Robinson International Airport expansion project.

Gift said he was offered the land by the THA as part of the compensation package after the State acquired his land for the project.

He maintains he was given permission to begin construction there since September by an agent/servant of the Airport Relocation Committee (ARC), and did so. He said he received a letter from the ARC in January offering him the same land at a cost of $153,999.30.

The THA, in a press release on Tuesday, said it had moved in to stop the construction on several new plots of land at the Shirvan Estate Land Development, Mt Pleasant. It said although the plots have been earmarked for residents affected by the airport expansion project, there is a protocol to be followed.

In Gift's pre-action protocol letter  to the THA, his attorney Janelle Ramsaroop, of Martin George and Company, gave the assembly seven days to respond to their queries and requests.

Ramsaroop said, “We are calling upon the THA to provide the legal basis upon which it has demanded this sum...from our client. We further call upon you to provide any documents which show that the THA had previously notified our client that he would be expected to pay such a sum of money in exchange for the said lot of land on Shirvan Road.”

She said the ARC's letter in Januarysaid the land offer would only be valid for 45 days from the date of correspondence.

She added, "The palpable absurdity of the THA either backdating the correspondence or delivering it to our client past the due date speaks volumes as to the manner in which the THA has managed, or shall we say mismanaged this entire land acquisition process."

She said Gift was promised a deed of lease for the lot of land but at no point in the previous correspondence was that contingent on his paying for the land.

"Our client subsequently invested all his savings into the construction of his dream home for himself and his family after having uprooted his entire life from his childhood home."

She said Gift "has now been physically blocked from entering the said lot of land by several agents and/or servants of the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries, and the Environment, acting under the instructions of persons such as Allison Williams, Allan Richards and Qwesi DesVignes (sic).

She said although Gift  did not have "a paper title" to the land, he had equity in it, given that he had spent his savings to build and develop it.