State paid more than $210m to residents to move for Tobago airport

Tobago West MP Shamfa Cudjoe says the State, has, to date, paid out more than $210 million to people whose properties are being acquired for the $1.2 billion ANR Robinson airport expansion project in Tobago.

She said 115 property owners within zones A, B and C – areas earmarked for the land acquisition initiative – have negotiated and settled with the State and a further seven are partially settled through advanced payments (to the tune of 80 per cent of the property value).“That’s 122 persons who have accepted settlements. These settlements are at a total cost of $210,766,703.68,” Cudjoe said in a post on her Facebook page.

The MP’s post came after last Thursday’s incident in which residents of Crompston Trace, Bon Accord, were evicted from their homes as the State moved to acquire properties for the airport expansion project.

Crompston Trace, off Silk Cotton Trace, falls within Zone D, one of the areas earmarked for acquisition by the State.

Terrell Percy’s belongings were removed from his house and placed at the side of the road.

But the THA quickly intervened. Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said in a statement the Commissioner of State Lands had received instructions to “pause the process.

“Therefore, the moving and demolition of Percy’s residence at Crown Point, have since been halted.”

Augustine said the residents and their attorney had received an emergency hearing and were to attend court on Thursday evening to have an injunction.

He said a previous injunction was filed by the residents in which the THA is named as one of the defendants.

But after the Office of the Chief Secretary’s release, the Ministry of Finance issued a statement criticising the Tobago House of Assembly for giving the impression that it instructed the Commissioner of State Lands to “cease and desist” from acquisition proceedings for lands required for the construction of the new terminal building at the ANR Robinson airport “and that the Commissioner of State Lands has complied with these alleged instructions.

“The Ministry of Finance wishes to make it clear that any such impression is inaccurate and misleading. The THA has no such power to instruct the Commissioner of State Lands.”

The ministry said the lands in question are urgently required for the construction of the new airport terminal.

It added the State has been in discussions with the occupants of these lands for the past three years.

“These protracted discussions have delayed the commencement of construction of the terminal building and the cost of the delay is now costing millions of dollars.”

The ministry added, “Accordingly, in accordance and compliance with the law and the prescribed procedures for applications to the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago, the State is taking all necessary steps to acquire and take possession of the lands as an urgent priority in order to avoid further delays and further cost escalation on this urgently needed and very important infrastructure project.”

Cudjoe concurred, saying in her post there are 11 occupants in Zone D of the airport land acquisition initiative who have been served notices and who, over the past three years, refused to discuss compensation or negotiate with the State.

She said for every month the state isn’t allowed access to the earmarked space to advance the execution of the project, taxpayers lose at least $5 million.

At present, Cudjoe said six people with structures within the “controversial Zone D” have negotiated and settled ex-gratia payments with the State at a total cost of $687,000.

On Friday, the Judiciary made it clear there is “no injunction or no stay of proceedings granted by the court in respect of nay of the families that are affected by the expansion of the ANR Robinson airport.”

It added the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries is not in possession of the land.

“As a result of hearings before the court on Monday and Tuesday, an understanding was given by the Minister of Agriculture, lands and Fisheries through the Attorney General of TT not to issue a warrant of possession pursuant to section 30 of the Land Acquisition Act against the occupiers and/or owners of plot number N61A, Bon Accord, Tobago, said to belong now or formerly to Joycelyn Mc Kenna, Horace Henry and others. That undertaking continues until August 26, 2022.”

Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh, meanwhile, said he was appalled by the “high-handed, oppressive, vindictive manner” in which Tobagonians were ejected from their homes.

In a statement on Friday, he also described as “insensitive, misplaced and arrogant,” statements made by the finance minister (Colm Imbert) “who chose to meddle in a matter that fell under the purview of Rohan Sinanan, the line Minister of Works and Transport, as the airport expansion project is a project under the said ministry.”

Indarsingh added, “Even more troubling is the silence of the Prime Minister, who watched on silently and contemptuously as our fellow countrymen were thrown out of their homes under the orders of his Government.”

He recalled it was Dr Rowley who placed a Division of Tobago Affairs under his stewardship in the Office of the Prime Minister.

Indarsingh called on Rowley, Sinanan and Imbert to answer questions about the evictions.

Cudjoe, who is also the Minister of Community Development and Sport, said the 20 year-old land acquisition issue has been “a very sensitive one indeed.”

However, she believes the majority of Tobagonians want a modern airport that will facilitate more quality airlift, attract investors and improve the island’s competitiveness as a tourism economy.

“Unfortunately, private lands had to be compulsorily acquired to facilitate the airport expansion project.”