THIRTY-EIGHT ex-employees of Petrotrin have chosen residents lots.
A release from the ministry on Friday stated that Minister of Housing and Urban Development Camille Robinson-Regis officiated at a Lot Selection Ceremony held at the South West Regional Indoor Sports Facility in Egypt Village, Point Fortin, on May 11, 2022.
The release stated that the ceremony marked the penultimate step in the allocation process for 38 of 70 people randomly selected during a live draw on September 07, 2021.
It stated, “These persons would have qualified for the residential lots after a verification exercise was carried out, following the draw, to determine landlessness, which is a criteria of the programme.
“This particular benefit would have come about with the closure of the refinery and the restructuring of the exploration and production activities at Petrotrin. After the ceremony, recipients will receive a letter confirming their selection and then will enter into the last phase of the process with receipt of their Deed of Lease for the land.”
Robinson-Regis said, “Petrotrin Workers received one of the most comprehensive termination packages in the history of this country, including the future investment of these residential lots, as it will not only redound to their personal benefit but that of their families, the communities in which they will start their new lives and the country at large”.
Under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the Land Settlement Agency was tasked with the responsibility to develop the Petrotrin lands as part of the separation package provided to affected workers, the release stated.
This initiative was done in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries.
The release stated that other sites have been earmarked for infrastructural development for further allocation to eligible ex-workers, including Allamby, Ste Madeleine and Golconda in San Fernando, Glenroy II in Princes Town and Balmain, Couva.
It stated, “Utilising the Ministry’s Aided Self-Help Housing model, the LSA will also assist beneficiaries with technical support, housing plans and access to mortgages through the Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Finance Company Limited.”
