Caroni Central MP: Criminal elements removed from Cashew Gardens

Criminal elements have been expelled from Cashew Gardens in central Trinidad, according to Glenn Ramadharsingh, the Caroni Central MP and Minister of the People and Social Development. Ramadharsingh was at the time speaking with the media when he toured Cashew Gardens yesterday morning. Ramadharsingh said when the PP government came into power some notable criminal elements were invading the community and squatting on state lands. He said the land grabbers were removed while infrastructure in the area was upgraded, making way for the distribution of land and the regularisation of squatters in the area.

Ramadharsingh said squatters in the area would start undergoing the regularisation process by mid-March. He said plots would be handed out based on a priority list from the Land Settlement Agency. Ramadharsingh said he plans to merge the HIV awareness arm of his agency with a programme that deals with non-communicable diseases. He said while HIV takes a toll in some rural communities and areas along the east-west corridor, diabetes and hypertension remain the second largest killer in South and Central Trinidad. Ramadharsingh said his ministry would be seeking to raise awareness of these diseases in the coming months in a bid to have individuals live a healthy lifestyle.