Squatters in south Trinidad are disappointed that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar failed to deliver on her promise to regularise them before the end of her government's tenure.
This after the Senate ran out of time to tackle the long-anticipated State Land (Regularisation of Tenure) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, 2015.
Even though Leader of Government Business in the Senate and Minister of the Environment Ganga Singh said the Bill would be tackled immediately when the Government won the election and resumed office, several squatters said they were now in limbo.
Speaking at Reform Village, Golconda, yesterday, disabled squatter Kavita Balchan said she was praying they could get some security of tenure.
She asked: "What they expect us to do now? I feel really disappointed because we had made arrangements with the Land Settlement Agency to purchase the land we are living on."
She explained that initially the LSA said it would be charged $30,000 for the land but that was later increased to $100,000.
"We wanted the Government to give us a deed of comfort. Now that the bill isn't passed we do not know what will happen to us," she added.
In the squatting community of Victoria Village, dozens of people who live along the former Trinidad Government Railway (TGR) line, said they too were disappointed.
Devi Maharaj said: "We have been living here for over 15 years and we cannot repair our house because we have no deed of comfort. This is real worries for us."
Her neighbours – Faith Gordon, Jean Swain and Grace Achong–said Persad-Bissessar waited too long to pass the Bill.
"Why wait at the last minute to try to pass the Bill. They should have done that long time. They had five years," Achong said.
She added since the Government took office, nobody had visited the squatting community to speak about regularisation. She said lands were developed opposite their homes but none of the houses were sold to squatters.
"Kamla has to come better than that. Who she think she fooling. She don't care about squatters," Gordon said.
Maureen Mykoo said she and her neighbours were willing to pay for the lands on which they lived.
She said the LSA had started clearing new lands about 150 feet from their community but that was not for squatters. Mykoo longed for the day when their community could have good roads, proper lights and running water.
Pensioner Hannah Choon said she had hoped the Government would finally regularise them.
Now that the Bill has been squashed Choon said she was living in fear that one day she would no longer have a home. Persad-Bissessar said over 60,000 citizens were awaiting regularisation.