SOCIAL SECTOR INVESTMENT PROGRAMME
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SUSTAINING GROWTH, SECURING PROSPERITY
CHAPTER 3: NATIONAL SOCIAL SITUATION
Government has also extended the 2%
mortgage financing facility (for the purchase
of land, as well as home construction) to the
VSEP beneficiaries of the former Caroni (1975)
Limited. In July 2013, leases were distributed
to 187 VSEP beneficiaries for residential lots
of land, which brings to date, a total of 1,550
residential leases that were granted to former
Caroni workers.
B. Squatter Regularisation
The
Land
Settlement
Agency
(LSA),
commenced formal operations in 1999, is
mandated to “protect certain squatters from
eviction from State Lands; to facilitate the
acquisition of leasehold titles by both squatters
and tenants in designated areas and to provide
for the establishment of land settlement areas”.
The LSA has completed engineering designs for
eight squatter sites. These sites: La Savanne,
La Phillipine, Arena Road, Pondarosa, Ramlal
Street, Sunress, Kangalee Street, and St. Mary’s
Village, have yielded a total of 1,609 lots.
Infrastructural works have been completed and
final approval from Town and Country Planning
has been granted for the following 20 squatter
sites, which have yielded a total of 3,525 lots:
• Ackbarali Trace, Arima
• John Boodoo Trace, Brazil Village
• Samaroo Village, Arima
• Bon Air North, Arouca
• Harmony Hall, Gasparillo
• Pine Settlement, Sangre Grande
• Squatterville, Macaulay
• Milton Village, Couva
• KP Lands, Valencia
• La Paille Village, Caroni
• Rice Mill Road, Arouca
• Jacob Hill, Wallerfield
• Picton Road Extension, Sangre Grande
• Race Course, Arouca
• Southern Gardens, Point Fortin
• Cashew Gardens, Carlsen Field
• Retrench Village, San Fernando
• Wellington Road, Debe
• Springle Village, Point Fortin, and
• Glenroy, Princes Town.
In March 2013, Government also approved
the transfer of the undermentioned six sites,
which were partially developed by the Estate
Management Development Company Limited
(EMBD), to the LSA for development and
distribution under the Land for the Landless
Programme:
• Balmain
• Beaucarro
• Factory Road I
• Orange Field II
• Waterloo I, and
• Felicity.
These sites are expected to yield a total of
1,466 lots. Infrastructural works and cadastral
surveys have been completed and final Town
and Country Planning approvals were granted.
Lands under the Land for the Landless
Programme will also be utilised for squatter
relocation during the regularisation process. In
June 2013, Cabinet approved funding to meet
outstanding commitments to T&TEC andWASA
for infrastructural works done on ten EMBD
sites for former Caroni (1975) Limited VSEP
beneficiaries.
In March 2013, Government agreed to
the strengthening of the LSA, through the
establishment of a Housing Support Centre
to assist squatters and new land owners with
home construction. The Centre will be staffed
with professionals from the construction
sector, and will provide the following services to
beneficiaries wanting to construct homes:
• Technical advice and oversight during
housing construction;
• Administrative support with respect to
getting the necessary statutory approvals
for home construction;
