MP for Port-of-Spain North/St Ann's West Stuart Young says undistributed housing projects that were left to deteriorate under the People's Partnership government are an abuse of citizens and taxpayers of this country.
He was speaking at a key distribution ceremony for approximately 200 new HDC (Housing Development Corporation) home owners at the Government Campus Plaza, Richmond Street, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
Young said, "In 2009 under a PNM Government, in the Wellington housing project in Debe, houses were completed and handed over in 2009-2010.
"The then administration came in and left these houses which are for you the citizens of T&T to completely deteriorate over a period of a few years where they could have been distributed to worthy citizens to provide the security and safety of a roof over your heads.
"Then they awarded a contract to someone to fix these houses that cost us citizens hundreds of thousands of dollars."
Young said: "Another one that bothered me as a citizen tremendously and should bother every right thinking citizen who should ask questions about the Victoria Keys housing project in Diego Martin."
He said under then housing minister, now Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, the houses were almost completed prior to 2009, but what happened next was nothing short of abuse of citizens and more importantly taxpayers.
Young said the housing minister between 2010 and 2015 and his regime decided to strip all the finished apartments and refurbish them in the most lavish settings and finishings at taxpayers' expense, and the availability of those houses as low-income houses was lost.
Housing Minister Randall Mitchell said earlier this year the sod was turned and construction officially commenced at River Runs Through, Arima; Bon Air South, Arouca; and Mt Hope which will provide an additional 320 units to the national stock.
He said by the end of the year, the ministry also intended to turn the sod at three new sites at Gomez Trace, Moruga; D'Abadie; and Corinth, San Fernando.