Two Ministers slam UNC over Oropune ‘racket’

PNM Minister Camille Robinson-Regis and Jarrette Narine slammed the UNC for allowing a “racket” to take place in the Oropune settlement. They were responding to the request from St Augustine MP Winston Dookeran to expedite the compensation to Oropune residents during the debate on the Director of Survey Validation Bill in the House of Representatives. Dookeran reminded Planning Minis-ter, Robinson-Regis that she had stated in response to the question, that the matter would have been resolved by the third quarter of last year. He said he raised the matter with the Ministers of Planning, Agriculture and the Prime Minister and on each occasion he received assurances that the matter would be dwelt with. But to no avail, he said.

He said people were suffering as a result of inertia in the system of granting leases. Noting that Dookeran talked about Oropune residents having legitimate claims, Robinson-Regis said that while some people were legitimately occupying houses at Oropune, others were  fraudulently laying claim to several houses. Noting that Government had called in the Fraud Squad, Robinson-Regis stated that those constituents who Dookeran claimed were being disenfranchised, were those persons who were not cooperating either with the Fraud Squad, the AATT or the Ministry of Planning and Development. “If he really wants to assist his constituents, he would ask them to cooperate with the investigation that is being done, so that those who are true beneficiaries would get their just due,” she said.

She said four court matters involving persons who brought claims were all settled in favour of the State since these claims were deemed to be invalid. Robinson-Regis assured that Government would compensate those Oropune residents with a legitimate right to their lands. But, she stressed, Government had to complete its investigations. Narine stated that the Oropune matter should not have been a PNM problem, since it happened during the UNC time. Narine lamblasted UNC MPs for talking about the tardiness of Government in granting leases. He said in 1998 the UNC Cabinet approved 79 leases, in 1999- 76 and 1997- 104, 2000-112, 2001- 119. “All that time their people were suffering but they only cared about (building) Piarco Airport,” he said. He said when the PNM came into office, the numbers of approved leases rose, going to 152 in 2002, 186 in 2003 and 396 in 2004, “all because of the benevolence of this Government” which fast-tracked the process.