Since 2016 has started T&T has been left without a Commissioner of State Lands and according to sources at the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries, there is no idea if that position will be filled any time soon. It is the fear that given the vacant position, the land grabbing issue will go out of control.
“People are grabbing state lands like if it is going out of style,” the source said. The source added that it is also the fear that the existing illegal squatters may now be seeking to “boldface” expand their illegal boundaries on state lands, example putting up additional annexes, structures and/or farming the lands.
According to the State Lands Act 57:01—The Commissioner shall have the management of all lands of the State, and shall be charged with the prevention of squatting and encroachment upon the same and of spoil and injury to the woods and forests on such lands, and shall superintend the settlement and allotment of State Lands and the laying out of village lots in such districts as the President from time to time directs.
It also states that the Commissioner shall also take possession of, and shall be charged with the care and letting and the collection of the rents of, all lands which may belong or escheat to, or which by virtue of any Act may be forfeited to and become vested in, the State.
When contacted for comment, chief executive officer of the LSA, Hazar Hosein, would only confirm that there was no Commissioner of State Lands.
However, Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries, Clarence Rambharat not only confirmed the vacant position but also added that the position of Director of Surveys was also pending to be filled.
Rambharat explained that the position of Commissioner of State Lands became vacant in May 2015 with the retirement of Ian Fletcher. He added that the Public Service Commission appointed someone to act and that ended on December 31, 2015.
Rambharat said it was very critical for both positions to be filled as soon as possible.
“We await a further acting appointment and we await the advertising of the vacancies in the critical positions of Commissioner of State Lands and Director of Surveys. Numerous problems are faced without these two positions being filled.
These positions have to be advertised and filled by the Public Service Commission,” Rambharat said. On the issue of illegal squatting, Rambharat said it continues to be an issue that affect State Lands across the country and as an attempt to further address this, the use of technology may most likely come into play in the very near future.
The minister also stressed on the fact that current enforcement strategies are expensive and ineffective and added that there was need to review strategies.
“Most affected are sites being developed by the Land Settlement Agency (LSA) (this is under Housing); former Caroni (1975) Limited lands and lands being developed by EMBD,” Rambharat said.
“I have advised our Lands Division (former Ministry of Lands and Marine Resources) that we need to review strategies and consider the use of technology including drones to manage State lands,” he said.
Hosein also confirmed that they were in the process of working on proposals and policies and therefore could not divulge further information. In several forest reserve areas, including North East Trinidad: Aripo Savannas in Valencia and along the Toco Road, squatting is said to be particularly severe.
Other areas include: Pine Settlement in Sangre Grande, Melajo, the Northern Range, Nariva, the Caroni Bird Sanctuary and Point Fortin. A source at the ministry said that currently, the use of a combination of patrols and private security in an attempt to alleviate squatting, over time, have proven very ineffective.
Former minister Jairam Seemungal had revealed last year May, that it was going to be a task to regularise the existing 60,000 squatters, some of whom have been living on state lands for as long as 60 years. There are approximately 350 squatting sites in T&T.
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The LSA is authorised under the State Land Regularisation of Tenure Act number 25 of 1998 to prevent and contain further squatting on state lands and to regularise eligible existing squatters. A person who is eligible for regularisation must have occupied a dwelling house on the property prior to January 1, 1998, and applied for a COC before 2000.