Demolition crews from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) returned to Thompson Gardens, Ste Madeleine, yesterday to tear down the remaining squatter houses.
But while armed private security officers stood watch, the residents were allowed to salvage items from their structures before the excavators moved in.
PNM’s San Fernando East activist Michelle Johnson, who erected a concrete structure on the site, said she was disheartened that Housing Minister and San Fernando East MP Randall Mitchell did not respond to their calls for help.
Johnson said she lost $40,000 in building materials because she decided to take a risk.
A WASA line was seen gushing in front of Johnson’s unfinished home but she denied being responsible for the leak.
Nearby, Kyle Dillon also took time removing the galvanize sheets and plyboards from his home.
All of the materials were taken to a relative’s house. Another dwelling house, which was outfitted with an electricity supply, remained standing up to late yesterday. An official at the site said T&TEC will have to disconnect the supply before demolition could take place.
Last week, seven squatting houses were demolished.
Responding to questions in Parliament last Friday on the issue, Mitchell said the HDC was acting within the law.
“I am told that employees of the HDC have been meeting with the occupiers for some time now and will continue to do so. For further details contact the acting managing director of the HDC,” Mitchell said yesterday via text message.
“While the occupiers are in dire need and will receive the relevant interventions by the HDC, the thousands of residents from the Tarodale Hills community deserve not to be robbed of the use of recreational space,” he added.
However, former housing minister Dr Roodal Moonilal yesterday called on Government to act humanely when dealing with the squatters. He said many people were facing job loss and were becoming increasingly hopeless.
“I am calling on the Housing Minister to exercise greater empathy and care and demonstrate that Government has a heart by meeting with these people. If they have to be removed from the site they should have made low-cost housing units available to these people,” Moonilal said.
He added that thousands of housing units are available at low cost.
Moonilal added that under his tenure, the HDC never broke down squatters’ homes.
“We entered into negotiations and discussed arrangements. This is heartless especially at a time when people are losing their jobs. They are now hopeless and I call upon the Government to have a heart in dealing with these people,” Moonilal said.