Valencia squatters look at legal options

Charmaine Harridan, whose home was demolished, told Newsday she visited Ramdeen’s Woodbrook office yesterday with three other affected residents. She said they were only able to meet with him for a short time, as he was called away on other business.

“We gave him all relevant documents and he said he wanted to present the matter in court before Friday. People are going in groups because they represent different areas,” Harridan said. Asked if she was seeking compensation for damage, Harridan said, ‘no’.

“I am not asking for any compensation.

If the court wants to offer compensation that is fine but if they say no, then I will have to go with that. All I want to know is if I could rebuild on the land, because I was given permission to do so in the first place.” Harridan’s three-bedroom house was bulldozed in an exercise which saw several other houses similarly destroyed.

Justice Frank Seepersad, in an emergency sitting on Sunday, granted an interim conservatory order restraining the commissioner from demolishing any more homes occupied by squatters. This after attorneys for two squatters – Annesa Maharj and Ashminee Joseph – filed a suit against the commissioner.

The women say they have occupied land at Pine Lane for over 30 years.