The Commissioner of State Lands, together with a team of police officers, made good on eviction notices served to several squatters at La Culebra Site in Arima. The action has left several homeless. Rynessa Cutting has more.
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00:23The Commission of State Lands together with her team of police officers made good on eviction notices to several squatters at a site in Arima. The action has left several homeless.
00:35Tempers fled this morning at Ramjeton Trace in Arima as officials from the office of the Commission of State Lands together with a team of police officers made good on eviction notices served to several squatters illegally occupying the La Culebra site.
01:06During the incident one person was arrested and residents could even be heard threatening officers lives.
01:14According to a release from the HDC the action became necessary to declare state lands 12 units were demolished.
01:38HDC says in October of 2024 20 such illegal structures were demolished as part of an ongoing effort to remove unlawful occupants from the land following which notices were served to the occupants of 12 additional structures requesting that they vacate the property by January 2025.
01:59The issue has been ongoing for several years with satellite imagery confirming that one of the structures was constructed in 2014 with several others being constructed between 2018 and 2023.
02:13The HDC adds that authorities were also made aware of fraudulent activities such as individuals unlawfully selling portions of state lands and collecting money from unsuspecting persons.
02:25Investigations are underway to address these illegal transactions and bring the perpetrators to justice.
02:32Renassa Cutting TV6 News.
02:35Meantime a former housing minister Dr. Rudal Munilal is calling on the government to quote seek a humane solution to the housing impasse at Ramjatantris at all squatters on state lands.
02:47He's also calling on the Commission of State Lands to work with the Housing Development Corporation to provide emergency shelter.
02:55Evicting families in the current economic decline and given the unemployment, the poverty, the vulnerability, the at-risk nature of some of these families, this will pose greater challenges and may well increase crime and escalate poverty.
03:14The Minister of Housing must intervene and show compassion and care notwithstanding the legality of those structures and the point that we cannot condone law-breaking.
03:27We owe citizens a compassionate approach and a humane approach to the crises that they face.
03:35This evening the HTC's Corporate Communications Manager Kimberley D'Souza issued an update regarding the action taken by the Commission of State Lands at a site in Orima.
03:46The Commission of State Lands requested the eviction of squatters on state lands on Thursday January 6, 2025.
03:53It must be noted that the Commission of State Lands by law is the only organization authorized to remove persons from state lands.
04:01On behalf of the Commission of State Lands, the HTC observed the removal of 12 structures at the site.
04:07Five housed illegal occupants while the other seven structures were vacant.
04:12Squatters were given adequate notice to remove their belongings from the property.
04:17The HTC's Corporate Communications Manager said that in October of last year, 20 legal structures were removed from the site with the 12 having remained.
04:27In October 2024 and January 2025, notices were issued to the relevant parties by the Commissioner of State Lands.
04:35Two signs were also erected in the vicinity and notices were placed on the 12 structures.
04:41The notices stated that the occupants were given notice to vacate the property by January 27, 2025.
04:48On that day, the Commission of State Lands did not go, which means the illegal occupants were given an additional nine days to vacate the premises
04:56since it was decided that the removal exercise would be executed on Thursday February 6, 2025.
05:03The HTC's Corporate Communications Manager said houses and land can be acquired through the Land Settlement Agency, the LSA, and for HTC.
05:13Squatting remains illegal.
05:15The government desires to improve the socioeconomic activity of the citizens, so spontaneous housing development,
05:20such as the unplanned construction of homes in areas that do not have adequate facilities, is frowned upon.
05:26These spontaneous housing developments also lead to fraudulent activities and sewer and water issues and can be seen as a breeding ground for criminal activities.
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