Court orders State to give back Chag land

A CARENAGE man was yesterday granted permission by the court to occupy more than five acres of land for which the State claimed it had compensated his grandfather since 1941. Magistrate Maureen Baboo-lal-Gafoor, sitting in the Port-of-Spain Third Magistrates’ Court, yesterday dismissed a charge brought against Augustine Noel of illegally occupying the land at Airways Road, Chaguaramas. Noel, of Abbe Poujade Street in Carenage, was served with a notice on August 13, 2003 by the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) to appear in court for his illegal occupation of the land. According to Noel, his grandfather had owned and occupied ten acres of land in the area and, along with other families, had been unceremoniously removed from the land in 1941. Noel said his grandfather had received compensation of approximately $1,350. 

However, while going through the records about two years ago, Noel said he realised the payment had only been for less than half of the land. He said he started paying the taxes for the remainder of the land and cultivated it. After he was served with the notice, Noel said, he made two appearances at the Chaguaramas Magistrates’ Court. When that court was closed down earlier this year, the matter was transferred to the city court. Noel said he was elated that his land was returned to him. He said a meeting was carded for Sunday on the land to celebrate his victory and to motivate more “African people” who had been removed from land and had not been compensated to occupy what still belongs to them. Noel was represented by attorneys Henry Wooding, Felix Durity and Llewellyn Thompson.