Hackett: Provide homes before eviction

KINNESHA GEORGE-HARRY

Residents of Crown Point and environs affected by the construction of the new terminal and supporting infrastructural works at the ANR Robinson International Airport are “standing their ground.”

On Thursday, residents staged a silent protest outside the office of the National Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (Nidco), Milford Road, Canaan.

This came after things got heated in Parliament on Wednesday, when Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was questioned by members of the United National Congress (UNC) over money to be spent to construct the new airport terminal.

The first question came from Ramona Ramdial who called on the Prime Minister to explain what she described as the exorbitant increase of the estimated cost for the Tobago terminal from $500 million to $870 million. This led to a question from Opposition MP Vidya Gayadeen-Gopeesingh, who asked the Prime Minister if the $870 million included land acquisition costs, which further prompted Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal to ask the Prime Minister if the Government believes that $1.1 billion plus is value for money for one airport terminal.

Speaking with Newsday on Monday, spokesperson for Pro­vide Equiv­a­lent Eq­ui­table Com­pen­sa­tion for Every­one (PEECE) Movement, the group representing the residents, Rhonda Hackett said the needs of the residents are been left behind.

“As this negotiation and land acquisition process continues, there is no true justice that is being served for the residents. The Minister of Finance has indicated that the only compensation would be monetary, and we continue to say that a cheque in hand would not be adequate, persons need to be given back their lands and their homes. You are going to be taken from a home, you must be placed back into a home.

“So, there would be no movement before resettlement,” she said.

Beverly Henry, whose home is affected by the project, is calling on the Government to treat the residents fairly.

“They want us to come out of our houses and go in the road and live, while Trinidadians are getting acres of land and money and everything else to go and build back their homes.

“Mr whoever is in charge and whoever else is in authority, we are telling you, the people of Tobago are not fools,’ she said.

Volwyn Lovell, another homeowner said the residents are intent on sending a message to Nidco and all other key stakeholders in the project.

“Let them understand that we in Tobago, we stand for principles,” he said.

Speaking during the January 30 contract signing ceremony for the airport upgrade project at the International Departure Gate of the airport in Crown Point, Minister of Finance Colm Imbert said the State is in the process of acquiring 53 acres of land between Store Bay Local Road and the ANR Robinson Airport perimeter fence in the Bon Accord area, adding that consultant, ACQ and Associates has been approved to negotiate and settle with home-owners on behalf of the State.

Imbert said a land acquisition policy has been approved by Cabinet and up to 130 property owners have been served with section four legal notices, allowing the State to enter the lands. Negotiations with property owners, he said are ongoing adding, “Once negotiations are completed, residents would be compensated in a timely manner.”

During a September 2019 meeting with Nidco, residents were told that they had until February 2020 to vacate their property and hand it over to the State. However, speaking during the contract signing ceremony on January 30, Nidco chairman Herbert George told Newsday that the affected residents now have a little more time before they are required to vacate their properties.

George said Nidco would continue with the compulsory land acquisition of the properties that are within the footprint of the area.

He said Nidco has taken a $300 mil­lion loan aimed at fa­cil­i­tating the compensation to prop­er­ty own­ers and oc­cu­piers of lands iden­ti­fied.