Residents of Massahood Junction, Fyzabad, are appealing for Government to intervene to stop the demolition of 25 homes after notices were served on the occupants by State-owned energy company Petrotrin.
The residents, led by councillor for the area Doodnath Mayrhoo, staged a protest yesterday and accused Petrotrin officials of trying to bully them out of their homes.
The T&T Guardian obtained one of the notices dated December 8 which states: “It has been brought to the attention of Petrotrin that you and/or your agents have without consent entered upon Petrotrin’s Pipeline Wayleave and constructed a portion of a dwelling house upon the Wayleave situated at San Francique Road.
“This act constitutes a continuing trespass and is in violation of Petrotrin’s rights. Further, your actions pose a severe Health and Safety risk not only to you and your family, but also to our employees, agents and the community at large.”
The residents were given seven days to demolish the structures.
Turpatee Rampersad, one of the first to be served with a notice, said according to the specifications given to her by Petrotrin officials, her entire home must be demolished.
She is a 70-year-old amputee who uses a motorised wheelchair.
“My son used to live with me but he had heart problems and died a few years ago,” she said.
“I live alone and according to this letter, my whole house have to break down . . . I living in that house seven years now but I born and grow in this village.”
She said the wooden two-bedroom house was built for her by the National Self Help Commission and if Petrotrin carries out its threat to demolish her home, she will be left homeless and penniless at the start of the new year.
“I don’t have anywhere to go and they telling us they not going to pay us for anything. I asking the Government to come in and do something about this, don’t let them treat poor people like this,” Rampersad said.
Another resident, Richard Ramlal, also raised the issue of compensation.
“They telling us to break down entire houses but nobody don’t want to compensate us for what we going to lose,” he said
Ramlal was adamant that the pipelines in question are no longer used and claimed the company is trying to move his home to install new pipeline for exploration projects.
“If you look at those lines they have huge holes and you can’t see anything leaking—how that could be in use? That has been like that for years but like they want to put down new line so they come to advantage we now,” he said.
Mayrhoo said the residents are asking for a meeting with Petrotrin officials, or failing that they will take legal action.
Petrotrin’s Head of External Communications and Branding Joy Antoine said the energy company embarked on a project to replace it’s lines more than a year ago and the residents had been served with sufficient notice. She said they are endangering themselves and others by building their homes on the pipelines.
Antoine said the residents of San Francique Road are not the only ones affected as Petrotrin has already began changing lines from Point Fortin to Moruga. She said it was one of the consequences of building along the pipeline.