Ex-Caroni workers to get their land

LINK : http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,209049.html 

By Richardson Dhalai Tuesday, March 31 2015

TWO days after former sugar workers and their families marched through the streets of Couva on Friday, Trade, Industry, Investment and Communications Minister Vasant Bharath assured them that lands were being made available for them.

In a statement, Bharath said all former workers could feel “confident” that they would receive the lands which had formed part of the Caroni VSEP package by the middle of 2015.

“It was a promise made by the Prime Minister and as with other commitments, it is a promise that will be kept,” Bharath stated, adding, “In fact, we would recall that one of the first acts of the government was to withdraw the appeal to the Privy Council of the Justice Lennox Deyalsingh ruling.”

Bharath pointed out that the Privy Council appeal, which had been made by the previous PNM administration had “effectively stalled the process” and it was only when Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had instructed the Attorney General to withdraw the appeal that government was able to move forward on the land distribution process.

“In addition, the previous administration levied charges of $20,000, $25,000, and $30,000 on the lands before the former workers could take ownership,” he stated, adding, “this government revoked those charges because they were unjust and we ensured that whatever sums were paid were refunded to the former workers.”

Bharath also pointed out that new terms had also been introduced to allow easy transferability of the lands from the ex-Caroni workers to their children or should they decide to sell the lands.

“To be clear, through the Ministry of Land and Marine Affairs, there are 12,387 available lots on 30 sites with 8,855 lots allocated to the former Caroni workers. The remaining 3,532 lots are being used for other land distribution,” Bharath stated.

“So there has been absolutely no attempt to alter or adjust the allocations that are being made to ex-Caroni workers. And all outstanding lots which are at various stages of the execution process will be delivered before the middle of 2015,” he stated.

But All Trinidad General Workers Trade Union president general Nirvan Maharaj says the issue must be resolved since former sugar workers have waited over 11 years for what was offered to them as part of their Voluntary Separation Employment Programme packages.

“There has to be meaningful action or meaningful dialogue to have this matter resolved,” Maharaj said. He added that the union was willing to work with the Prime Minister and the Government.

“But it must be resolved because it is a shame that going onto five years since this government came into power, this issue is still outstanding,” he said.