Within hours after officials from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), accompanied by armed soldiers and police officers, evicted illegal tenants from the Clifton Towers in east Port-of-Spain yesterday they returned to the apartment complex.
The return of the alleged illegal tenants and their families have instilled fear into the lives of the legal tenants.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, a tenant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the situation has reaffirmed that the HDC officials do not care about their safety.
“They don’t care about our safety. We have been asking for relocation and HDC have refused us…maybe not until one of us is killed,” the tenant said.
Shortly before 8 am five vehicles, including a truck, belonging to the T&T Defence Force (TTDF) carrying soldiers and four police vehicles, also carrying armed officers, accompanied HDC officials and movers to the compound to begin the second major eviction exercise.
Illegal tenants were removed from all the four Towers, totalling 12 people.
On Wednesday, HDC officials removed the iron gate to the property. The gate was controlled by the illegal residents who often locked it and refused legal tenants entry to the compound.
Yesterday’s eviction was much more peaceful than a similar exercise done on November 23, where some of the illegal tenants clashed with police officers and tried to lock the gate on them.
One tenant pleaded for a permanent security post at the premises.
“They should have a soldier post for us here now so that when an eviction takes place the people wouldn’t have time to move back in like what they did today,” the tenant said.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, during an address to the nation last month, said some homeowners were being chased out of their homes by people who had no respect for law and order at Clifton Towers.