KALIFA CLYNE and
RHONDOR DOWLAT
A total of 1,408 families are set to benefit from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s initiative to allow renters in Housing Development Corporation (HDC) apartments for over 30 years to buy them for $100.
The figure was disclosed by HDC’s corporate communications manager Maurisa Findlay in a telephone interview yesterday.
The tenants who meet the criteria will come from 402 buildings in 51 communities across Trinidad, including Beetham Gardens, Laventille, Morvant, Lady Hailes Avenue, Pleasantville, Maloney and Point Lisas.
On Monday during a United National Congress Monday Night Forum in Diego Martin, Persad-Bissessar said citizens who had been renting HDC units for more than 30 years will be allowed to buy them if the People’s Partnership got a second term in office.
She also promised to regularise some 30,000 squatters as she unveiled what she said would be some of the party’s policy plans for the future.
HDC managing director Jearlean John said yesterday the HDC took policy directions from the Government and would follow the directive given by the PM. She clarified, however, that only people renting HDC units would benefit from the initiative.
Findlay further said that whatever conditions were outlined for the initiative, the HDC would ensure tenants eligible to benefit would receive the best treatment and measures to ensure they were included in the process.
“This is something we will get done once we have outlined all the necessary details,” Findlay said.
Asked whether renters owing arrears would need to pay it off before becoming eligible for the initiative, Findlay said that could not be answered at this time as the process needed to be discussed further.
While Findlay did not provide a full list of the communities yesterday, she said the information she had provided came from an ongoing renters survey being conducted by the HDC.
Tenants sceptical
Yesterday, however, renters in Port-of-Spain who fell under the criteria outlined so far said their votes could not be purchased with election promises.
Wayne Alleyne, a resident in an HDC apartment on Nelson Street, Port-of-Spain, for over 40 years said he would not vote based on the promise.
“I wouldn’t vote for nothing. If I get it, I get it. We pay $100 rent now so it doesn’t make a difference to me,” he added.
Told that the $100 payment promised by the Government would be a final payment toward ownership, Alleyne’s position remained the same.
“Look at those buildings, how can you own an apartment? The HDC already doesn’t do much, the apartments are falling apart,” he said.
Alleyne said the HDC, over the years, had not paid any attention to maintenance of the buildings and asked whether they were selling the apartments to give up the responsibility for the minimal upkeep which they had been doing.
Another resident who asked not to be named said the election promise did not matter much to him.
“They can’t buy my vote. Why don’t they talk about catching Dana Seetahal murderer or tell us about LifeSport?”
George said he felt the initiative was just one of many election promises he would ignore.
One woman said she would be glad to own her apartment instead of renting it but added that she would not vote because of the issue.