People's Minister alarmed at number of people living in "sub-human" conditions

Glen Ramadharsingh: People living in sub-human conditions

Trinidad and Tobago's People's Minister Dr Glen Ramadharsingh is alarmed at the number of people in the country living "way below the poverty line", noting that the number of people living under sub-human conditions is alarming.

In an interview with the Trinidad Guardian Ramadharsingh said the situation is so bad that every week he has to place between 20 and 30 people on the critical needs list of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC).

“Almost daily I have to recommend two to three people for housing...There are people living in sub-human conditions, people whose feet are going through the flooring and children who have no access to any kind of basic facilities," the minister told the paper. 

“This occurs all over the country, like in Morvant and some parts of south and central Trinidad,” he added.

Ramadharsingh also spoke about the problem of homelessness and people who live on the streets. He said the government may soon take legal steps to remove homeless people from the streets. He said his ministry is partnering with the National Security Ministry to develop a policy to “legally detain” homeless persons.

He added that some short-term measures included increasing the capacity at some of the institutions and generating more support from the Health Ministry.

The minister has embarked on a program to visit communities and meet people to hear their concerns. He said since the project started he has met thousands of people.

“In one week we normally visit 16 different parts of the country on our direct impact tours. So far I have interacted with some 7,500 people and out of those close to 3,500 applications have been made for all types of services.

He noted that one significant problem he has encountered is the abuse of food cards. He said the government is trying to eliminate the problem.

“Every three months files are reviewed and investigative work also is done in all areas," he said. He added that there are dishonest people who are abusing the system all across the country, with a high incidence in rural communities. “The further people live from town centres the further they are from governance,” Ramadharsingh told the paper.

The minister also spoke of plans to establish centres across the country for easy access to all Government services. “People will not have to leave their communities to access the services,” Ramadharsingh explained.

Read the full interview in the Trinidad Guardian