Carisa Lee
Reporter
carisa.Lee@cnc3.co.tt
Occupants of the remaining structures at the La Culebra site in Ramjattan Trace, Arima, said they are worried about losing their homes.
This follows the demolition of 12 structures in the squatter settlement by the Commissioner of State Lands (COSL) last Thursday.
Savitri Rambaransingh who lives alone, said she moved into the area in 2012. Too devastated to speak clearly, the 49-year-old woman said if her structure is demolished, she will have nothing.
“I not good, I not comfortable and I have nowhere to go,” Rambaransingh cried.
Another woman, who did not want to be identified, said her family recently spent $7000 on a soakaway for the structure. The mother of four said she drew assurance from a visit to the area last year nu La Horquetta/Talparo MP Foster Cummings.
“Foster Cummings came and walked around and had a conversation, so with him reassuring us that he’s going to get water, lights, fix drainage roads, you walk with that belief,” she said.
The woman said the same people seen in a social media post by the MP after he visited last March 9 were the same people whose homes were demolished.
“It’s the same district, the people haven’t changed,” she said.
“We have family, we have feelings . . . if they had a better option and somebody that rescued them they would have not been here. If they could have paid rent they wouldn’t be here.
“You noticed they didn’t move, you know why, they have no other option, that is why they didn’t move.”
The woman said she has not yet started preparing in case the excavators return.
“How could you be okay when you are dismantling houses? Why the government oppressing the poor? These are poor people, these are poor people if you watch the structure people are placing there because they cannot do better,” she stated.
She’s calling for dialogue with the MP before any more structures are destroyed as many of them cannot afford to rent or qualify for housing.
“Meet with us, you is a man, you is a father figure, we look up to you we have young children in the back here, you are the people’s choice, we have voted for you, we entrusted in you, come and reason with us,”she said.
Duane Herrera and Mark Williams who were at the siteyesterday, saod their homes were knocked down during the first exercise last year and they’ve been unable to get their life back on track since.
The men said when their structures were knocked down, those at the front of La Culebra site were promised that their structures were safe.
Residents admitted that eviction notices were placed on their structure before both exercises but when they visited the office of the Commissioner of State Lands office, the Land and Settlement Agency and the House Development Corporation for more information, no one pointed them in the right direction.
They rubbished the HDC’s claims that parcels of land were being cleared and sold.
Cummings could not be reached for comment on the matter yesterday.
