By Sue-Ann Wayow
GOVERNMENT will be working to ensure that land is distributed in a timely and efficient manner to those most in need.
This is according to Housing Minister Camille Robinson-Regis who met with staff of both the East Port of Spain Development Company (EPOSDC) and the Land Settlement Agency (LSA) recently.
In a ministry’s media release on Sunday, Robinson-Regis said, “My desire is to see people be afforded the comfort of owning their own land and homes. This is one of the most basic of human needs and all our efforts should be directed to ensuring that this happens to the people most in need, in a manner that is both timely and lawful.”
She said, “By injecting new life and opportunities into East Port of Spain, and providing the security that comes from land ownership, both the East Port of Spain Development Company (EPOSDC) and the Land Settlement Agency (LSA) impact the real and everyday lives of citizens, offering hope and the vision of a brighter, more secure future.”
At the Laventille Headquarters of the EPOSDC, Robinson-Regis and Minister in the Ministry Adrian Leonce met with the board, management and staff of the special purpose company, specifically charged with the revitalisation and regeneration of the communities in East Port-of-Spain.
Noting that these communities were often misunderstood, Leonce said that he has a familial affinity to these communities and was pleased to be the Minister in the Ministry with oversight for the EPOSDC.
Leonce said, “The success of the EPOSDC in generating new opportunities for employment, urban renewal and entrepreneurial development within the confines of East Port of Spain will benefit not only its residents but all of Trinidad and Tobago”.
Robinson-Regis said, “The EPOSDC has the mandate to collaborate closely with the residents and business owners, to determine what a revitalised and regenerated East Port-of-Spain would look like.”
EPOSDC is a Limited Liability Company, wholly owned by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and established under the Companies Act 1995. The Company having been incorporated by Cabinet in September, 2005, and is mandated to develop and redevelop a zone in East Port-of-Spain, bounded by Charlotte Street, Lady Young Road and the Eastern Main Road and including Morvant, Never Dirty and Caledonia, to improve the economic, social and physical environment of those areas.
The boundaries of East Port-of-Spain were subsequently expanded to include the communities of Beetham Estates, Sea Lots and Katanga.
Robinson-Regis is currently on a familiarisation tour of the agencies which fall under her purview as Minister of Housing and Urban Development.
Robinson-Regis was one of the several ministers who were reshuffled by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on March 16 with her former portfolio being Minister of Planning.
She has already met with the flagship agency, the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) where she outlined her goals for a more agile, responsive and people-centric organisation.
She and Leonce are expected continue their visits in the coming week, the release stated.
