Ramesh threatens to sue over La Paille lands

FORMER Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj has threatened to take legal action against the National Housing Authority (NHA) to protect the rights of villagers of La Paille Village, Caroni, who are seeking title to lands they have been occupying for more than 25 years. Maharaj met with the affected residents yesterday and outlined a plan of action which will include “legal and political action.” More than 200 families who occupy lands formerly belonging to Caroni (1975) Ltd have been served notice to either vacate the lands or demolish buildings they have constructed.

“I have witnessed your anxiety and your genuine fears that your homes will be demolished and you will end up without lands that rightfully belong to you. If you have occupied these lands for 16 years or more, with the knowledge and acquiescence of the owners, you have possessory rights to the land. “It is clear that the Manning administration is bent on carrying out a land grab in La Paille to be able to bring in people from outside. We are going to resist this with all our strength. This is one battle we are going to fight and one which we are going to win,” Maharaj assured the villagers.
He said he intends to take legal action to prevent the NHA and Government from doing anything with the land. “What you are facing here in La Paille, as so many others through the country, is naked discrimination, injustice and oppression. On the one hand, Patrick Manning is going abroad and preaching unity, but right here at home he is dividing the country. We have to put a stop to all of this.

“If the Equal Opportunities Act was in force, people who are discriminated against will be able to get justice. We intend to take this matter right up to the Privy Council, if it comes to that,” he added. Ramjit Ramaya, who has been living in the village for more than 25 years, said the names of some 80 percent of the bona fide villagers were not on a list of persons the NHA has designated as legal occupiers of the land. “Most of the people who have rights to the land and have been living here for more than 25 years are not on that list. Where will they go? Who do they want to bring in to occupy those lands? “We do not feel we are part of this country. We feel we are being discriminated against. We were born and raised here. We have been living here all our lives. Where do they expect us to go?” he asked. Another resident, Sharaj Ali, said while some villagers have been given permission from the NHA to build their houses, he has not received permission. “It is unfair, I am living here longer than some of them and I can’t get permission. We have to get justice,” he said.