The money is to settle outstanding payments for land and property taken over by the State up to 25 years ago to build the new airport at Piarco.
Minister of Works and Transport Jack Warner said the matter dragged on for so long because of discrimination against the people displaced by the state's action to acquire their properties.
Warner was speaking at a ceremony at the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (AAT&T) headquarters at the South Terminal of the airport.
He told the Oropune residents he is glad they kept faith. He said former governments failed to solve the issue not because they didn't have the money but because of a lack commitment.
Attorney Om Lalla, who supervised the compensation process, said the value of the cheques handed out ranged from $50,000 to $250,000.
Lalla said he and a group of attorneys are working with the residents on completing a second tranche of payments for the remaining 150 residents by next month.
He said the 28 persons who received cheques were the "easier cases" to resolve. He added that his legal team would continue to find a solution to the other cases, including those with "more complicated legal issues" such as probate of estates, entitlement and lack of documentation.
"Everybody is going to be treated fairly and evenly. There is not going to be an eviction process or anything of that nature," Lalla said. "Everything will be done with full collaboration of the residents."
Minister of Legal Affairs Prakash Ramadhar said the payment is evidence that the People's Partnership is committed to keeping its promises.
Ramadhar said the cheque distribution was "a commitment that we made during the election campaign that is being fulfilled today, to bring it to a reality."
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