Cuffie, South Chamber receive Caroni landsThursday, November 23 2006
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Happy like Cuffie: Pastor Winston Cuffie receives his letter of comfort for seven acres of land in Couva, during a ceremony at Sevilla Club, Couva yes...
Prominent Pentecostal leader Pastor Winston Cuffie and the South Chamber of Industry and Commerce are among scores of people and organisations to benefit from the regularisation of their occupation of Caroni (1975) Ltd lands.
Minister in the Ministry of Finance Christine Sahadeo yesterday presented letters of comfort to Cuffie and Dr Thackwray Driver, chief executive officer of the South Chamber, at Sevilla Club, Couva. The pastor and business executive joined 237 persons and organisations to receive the letters which were handed out for several categories of occupation — spontaneous squatting, resident/land tenant, agricultural squatting and institutional.
Cuffie yesterday said he received his letter of comfort for seven acres of land at McBean, Couva, on which stands his Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School. Cuffie is the charismatic leader of Miracle Ministries, and his ornate Christ Castle church is next door to the school.
His lease is one of several issued to religious bodies, including the Maha Sabha, ASJA and Presbyterian church, which Caroni Ltd gave permission to occupy for these purposes.
Driver accepted the chamber’s letter for a lease for land in Tarouba on which the organisation plans to build an office and conference centre.
Acting chief executive officer of Caroni Ltd, Deosaran Jagroo, who attended yesterday’s function, told Newsday that some of the land had been leased and sold as freehold land. Persons who developed communities out of squatter settlements, including those that occupied agricultural lands, received leases for residential plots.
Many individuals, however, were unhappy that they received the letters of comfort and not deeds, and one landowner David Allen complained that the process had cost him potential earnings for a business which he set up. Allen entered into the land transaction with Caroni in April 2001.
Some of the letters, signed by Jagroo, explained that while Cabinet had approved the leases, based on the vesting act that was proclaimed on June 1, the Commissioner of State Lands had the authority to give effect to their agreements. In the letter he advised the lessees to contact the Office of the Commissioner of State Lands “to further progress the completion and execution of said lease agreement.”
The Commissioner of State Lands Stephanie Alexander was on hand at yesterday’s function.
Allen, however, suggested to Sahadeo that persons who bought freehold land be given a rebate for the long delay.
Sahadeo explained that a major delay in the preparation of the deeds was caused when Government sought to reconstruct Caroni Ltd and had ceased all land transactions in February 2003.
