It has been more than a decade since the $7.4 billion Solomon Hochoy Highway extension project started and even though millions have been paid out for land acquisition, many displaced residents are still renting.
So said president of the Debe to Point Fortin Highway Action Committee Edward Moodie during an interview with Guardian Media on Monday.
His comments came after the government announced a Commission of Enquiry into the project and claims made over $500 million was paid to homeowners to acquire land for the extension of the highway from San Fernando to Point Fortin.
Minister of Communications, National Security and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young made the announcement at last Thursday’s post-Cabinet news conference.
The commission will be asked to determine whether criminal or civil proceedings should be brought against those involved, including a Cabinet committee headed by former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Young told the media that a report was requested by the Ministry of Works following a study it conducted into compensation for the highway extension project and found that while $800 million was allocated for land acquisition, over $500 million had already been spent. Yet, he said, the process of land acquisition is not near completion.
Over 520 properties were acquired and paid for by state and there are still 459 properties to be acquired.
Moodie’s multi-million dollar property at Penal was one of several which were acquired by the State under the last government.
Addressing claims that too much money was paid and too much land was bought for the highway project, Moodie said the jump in valuations occurred after some residents obtained land-use variations from the Town and Country Planning Division changing their land use from agriculture to residential, industrial or commercial.
Moodie said the land acquisition for the highway was settled by private treaty and not compulsory acquisition so residents got the opportunity to negotiate the best price after their lands were evaluated by the State.
“While I worked as a consultant with NIDCO, I saw some people benefiting more from the highway than they should have. Some families got more than what I expected and some people got less. There were some discrepancies,” he admitted.
He noted that while nothing was wrong with questioning the amounts dispersed “but payments should have been justifiable based on the number of people and agencies that were involved in the process,” he added.
“The State gave us the opportunity to negotiate for lands which is what we did. As president of the committee I asked the State for the relocation of communities, payment for the structures occupied by squatters, assistance in getting children into schools, assistance in the physical relocation process and a five per cent incentive for those who chose to relocate within three weeks,” Moodie said.
All of this was granted and squatters were relocated to two sites at Picton Estate while legitimate homeowners were relocated to the Petite Morne Estates. Moodie said under the Patrick Manning government a budget was established for land acquisition and most of the lands in question were described as agricultural.
However, Moodie said before the negotiations actually started, people were advised to get the highest and best use for their lands.
“We realised that in some of the areas, the lands were actually plotted for industrial or commercial use and not agriculture,” Moodie added.
“We also asked for HDC houses for disabled people but we didn’t get it.”
Moodie said after construction started the width of the highway was decreased from 100 metres to 60 metres.
“The valuations were budgeted for agricultural lands but when people changed to residential, commercial and industrial, the land worth escalated and this threw the entire budget off course. The collaboration among State agencies was non-existent. The State was slow in serving legal notices,” Moodie claimed.
He said after the size of the highway was reduced, the State did not need the lands of some residents whose properties were already acquired.
Moodie said people who were moved to Petite Morne and Picton had to pay $50,000 for the land but when the government changed it jumped to $56,000.
“Later this increase was deemed illegal. Many of the people who were dislocated are still renting. Some never received their payments. Others did not receive their leases,” Moodie revealed.
He also said 13 people died while waiting for payment of their land.
The former consultant said he was willing to testify before the Commission to explain why some of the valuations were so high, while other land acquisitions became unnecessary after the highway’s width was reduced.