Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Land grabbers have moved into a quiet community at Diamond Village, San Fernando, clearing away crops and fruit trees, kicking down fences, and threatening villagers.
During a meeting with the chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation Gowtam Maharaj yesterday, the villagers, many of whom requested anonymity, called for protection, saying they were afraid for their lives.
One resident claimed one of the land grabbers first arrived in November and enquired whether there was any squatting land available to build on.
“I told them no, all the land here is occupied,” the resident recalled. He claimed several weeks later, more land grabbers returned and began chopping down coconut and other fruit trees. He claimed they then dropped material on the land and warned the villagers that anyone who stood in their way would be shot.
“We are very scared for our lives because they came here with cutlasses and threatened us. They say if anyone makes a scene, they will shoot up the place,” one resident said.
She added that one of the men appeared to have a Jamaican accent.
“We know they are not from here. We went to the police and reported the threats,” the villager said.
Community activist Destar Dythe claimed land grabbers attempted to sell the State land to villagers after trying to forcibly remove them.
“We want an investigation because people who have been occupying this land for many years are now being thrown out,” she explained.
She said that in recent times, some residents have started to get regularisation from the Land Settlement Agency.
However, the portion of land that is being sought falls under the Commissioner of State Lands. The residents said massive land grabbing has been taking place at Esperance Village, located about one mile away.
“There is a man there who is also selling land for $20,000 per lot and they do not own the land. People there are being told that if anyone comes into that squatting area without permission, they will be dealt with,” the resident said.
Maharaj and two officers from the Municipal Police arrived on the scene yesterday and spoke with the residents.
He called on the Commissioner of State Lands to investigate and the Ministry of Social Development to do a social impact assessment on communities in Marabella, Pointe-a-Pierre and San Fernando which continue to face economic hardship since the closure of Petrotrin.
“These are the effects of the closure. There is some relationship with unemployment and squatting,” he said.
Contacted for comment, the chairman of the Land Settlement Agency Wayne Innis said he will have the matter investigated.
“I will comment on it after I receive the results of the investigation,” he added.