Failure of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to provide sufficient recreational facilities in the sprawling Point Lisas Gardens, Couva, community is said to be the cause of an ongoing court battle and has sparked allegations of land grabbing and division among residents.
In the last three months there has been increasing tension in the community. The HDC has taken contractor Junior Sammy to court over a disputed piece of land, there has been the unauthorised clearing of land in other parts of the community and residents have staged several protests.
When the T&T Guardian visited the area recently, HDC lawyers were meeting with president of the Point Lisas Gardens Village Council Jeanette Redhead on the ongoing dispute with Junior Sammy which is now engaging the High Court.
Redhead, who has lived in the community for 32 years, said residents have suffered for decades because of the lack of facilities and opportunities for young people.
“Our village council has 8,000 registered members and this community has one small community centre. We have been told that the Government does not have money for the construction of any new community centres and the best they can do is to extend the existing community centre, so we are working on ensuring that extension,” she said.
Redhead said the small football field in the area has no lights and the lights on the basketball court were donated by the National Gas Company (NGC) but the bill is paid by the village council.
“Recently the bill was $4,000 and we could not pay it and we were lucky that a Good Samaritan came forward and paid the bill.” she said.
On the issue of the bulldozing of lands where residents had planted trees in what some claimed was an attempt by a government official to grab land, Redhead is calling for the disputed land to be used for an indoor complex.
She told the T&T Guardian, “I have heard these allegations of land grabbing but I cannot say there is any truth to that. What I can say is I never saw any government senator here being associated with the bulldozing. What I saw was equipment and trucks and whoever did it had some resources but I honestly cannot say it was any senator.”
She admitted that in the past attempt to improve the community had been stymied by the very residents who stopped work because some in the area did not benefit financially from it.
Dirk Williams, a member of a new group in the community, the Point Lisas Action Group, said he supported the bulldozing as an attempt to pressure the HDC to provide much needed recreational facilities.
“Imagine we live here and every minor ground that exists throughout the country had lights and this one is not even maintained far less having lights,” he said.
“The area that was bulldozed was nothing but bush and garbage and people used it to hide and shoot at each other. This is a community with real challenges and clearing the area also assists the police with maintaining law and order.”
Nicky Cunningham, who operates a carwash in the area, said he is concerned that people were not compensated for the bulldozing of the trees in the area.
He said: “I have a small carwash here. I am not involved in crime and grew up here. My concern is that these trees were already bearing fruit and to destroy them and not compensate the owners is wrong.
“In addition the area is now exposed and when the rainy season starts this place will be nothing but mud.”
Several residents are of the view that the community is neglect ed because it is seen as a PNM stronghold in a UNC constituency.
