Caption: Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, centre, with Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and THA Presiding Officer Abby Taylor on Tuesday. Photo: UNC FB Page
PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is promising end the challenges of land administration for residents of Tobago.
She made the promise during her first official visit to the island on Tuesday while addressing the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).
Persad-Bissessar said a ministry will be established deal with that particular issue.
She said, “Land represents one of the most valuable resources in Trinidad and Tobago. It is for this reason that the serious hardship experienced by Tobagonians who are unable to provide proof of ownership for property held in their families for decades has had the attention of successive administrations. This crisis first emanated from the onslaught of hurricane Flora, which struck Tobago in September 1963 which destroyed land records traditionally kept by Tobagonians in their homes.”
Persad-Bissessar said, “The Cabinet has already begun to address this issue with the creation of a ministry dedicated to improving land administration throughout Trinidad and Tobago.”
In collaboration between Cabinet and the THA, initiatives will be implemented, including the establishment of a Real Property Act (RPA) Applications Unit at the Registrar General’s Department in Tobago, staffing and outfitting of the Surveys and Mapping Division office in Tobago, funding by the THA for legal costs relating to the RPA application, reviewing existing legislation for an efficient RPA application process and consulting with the Judiciary to review guidelines for RPA applications, the prime minister said.
She thanked Tobagonians for their patience and assured of her commitment to work with the THA to “to end this suffering once and for all.”
Persad-Bissessar had a packed schedule for her one-day official visit to the island arriving in Tobago on Monday night where she was greeted by THA’s Chief Secretary Farley Augustine.
Prior to her attending the special assembly of the THA, she visited Signal Hill Secondary School where she met with several school children from varying primary and secondary schools in Tobago.
