Fiery protests over eviction notices

From as early as 6 am, some 40 residents of Jackson Trace, Woodland in Oropouche gathered on the street armed with placards to express their disgust over eviction notices served on them by the company, which manages lands once owned by Caroni (1975) Ltd.

Spokesman for the squatters Harinarine Ramlal, said the residents have been occupying the lands for the past 15 years. “Some of them have been here for over 15 years and they can’t be given eviction notices to move out just so. Squatters have rights too,” Ramlal charged. Some of the squatters set fire to tyres on the road.

Others held placards some of which read: “We don’t want to move”; “We want the same lot that we are living on”; “We have no alternative...way will we go?”; “We children going to school 400 yards away from where we live” and “We kindly ask for you to pledge the land for the people - no relocation”.

Ramlal said the last of three eviction notices, dated March 14, were served on them a week ago. “The notice gave the people 14 days to move out. But move out and go where? The EMBD have no place to relocate we (sic). Something have to be done, we cannot go on the streets to live,” Ramlal said.

He added that fruit trees owned by some of the residents have already been bulldozed and threats were made to have their homes demolished.

Asked to comment on the situation, Oropouche Member of Parliament Dr Roodal Moonilal said: “many people depend on agriculture as their livelihood and some of them had their bearing fruit trees bulldozed by the EMBD. How are these people going to live? Now their homes are the next ones on the list to be bulldozed.” Efforts by Newsday to get a comment from officials of the EMBD on the protest and proposed knocking down of the squatters’ houses, proved futile.