Moonilal will deal with squatters in "humane" manner

Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal told the Trinidad Express Sunday the new People's Partnership Government in Trinidad and Tobago will deal with the problems created by new squatters who are illegally building homes on State lands.

But he reiterated that it will be handled "in an efficient and humane way" and in accordance with the law.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has appealed to people not occupy state lands and she has promised to help everyone.

Moonilal stated that the Commissioner of State Lands will have to investigate reports of a fresh "land grab" to determine exactly how to resolve the matter.

He declined to pre-empt the commissioner and was non-commital of whether the authorities would knock down any of the new dwellings.

What he was clear about is that a solution to the problem would be based on the findings by the commissioner.

But his cabinet colleague Vasant Bharath has been more specific. Speaking on radio station i95.5 FM he said squatters would get an opportunity to tear down their galvanise and ply board structures and take elsewhere.

"We would have to determine first of all which ones are genuine cases and which ones are doing it out of any sense of malicious behaviour but we intend to resource all avenues to determine this matter in a humane way," he added.

The People’s Partnership made an election pledge not to break down the homes of existing squatters and to make attempts to regularise their tenure.

Media reports say following that pledge there was a rush by squatters to occupy State lands in several communities.