Senior Multimedia reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
In a bid to reclaim an area previously used by them for recreational purposes, villagers on Monday tore down a ‘No Trespassing’ sign erected on a parcel of land in Lower Coromandel Village, Cedros.
The three-acre plot was vested in the Siparia Regional Corporation on November 14, 2001, after being used for decades by the villagers for cultural and sporting activities.
However, in 2017, private developer Deochan Ramsaran rotavated the entire ground and started planting crops.
This led to court action with Deputy Mayor Shankar Teelucksingh confirming to Guardian Media that on November 5, 2001, the Siparia Regional Corporation was given jurisdiction over the land.
He said in a letter issued at the time by the Commissioner of State Lands, it was stated that the Town and Country Planning Division had no objection to the land being used for recreational purposes.
In response to claims made that the land was private, the SRC conducted a search of the property on September 14, 2014, and confirmed that the plot was owned by the state and given to the villagers for recreational use.
Villagers said they were therefore caught off guard over the weekend when a makeshift ‘No Trespassing’ sign was erected and a vegetable stall on wheels, bearing No Entry signs, rolled onto the site.
Speaking on behalf of residents, Makhanlal Deosaran said they took the matter to the High Court and won.
He said villagers were determined to regain their grounds, which were used in the past for the hosting of Easter sports day activities, cricket and football matches, as well as cultural programmes.
“We want back the ground for the youths because that will keep crime away, and we also want the ground so the older people could walk and get exercise,” he said.
Another villager, Ralph Coomansingh, recalled that in 2016, a cricket competition was held on the grounds.
“We’ve been caring for this land since the 1940s. I used to come as a child. I started playing cricket here at the age of six,” Coomansingh said.
Roopnarine Gobin, who also lives in the area, emphasized the need for a recreation ground.
“We have plenty of children and elderly people who want to play windfall games and run around, plenty of youths in the area who need this ground,” he said. He noted that the Adventurers Club was birthed at that ground in 1970.
Meanwhile, Pundit Naresh Maharaj said the villagers will continue to fight until they get back their recreational grounds.
“We want to know why nothing is being done about this. There are no sporting activities here at this moment, no place to have sports. We are in Easter, and we can’t keep a tournament, play cricket, or even fly a little kite,” he said.
Maharaj, who is a member of the Cedros Indian Cultural Committee, urged the authorities to intervene immediately. He described the move by unnamed persons to claim the land as “land grabbing” while pointing out that church members have been occupying state lands in several other areas.
Guardian Media visited the church and was told by an official that the land occupation had nothing to do with the church.
Contacted for comment last night, land developer Ramsaran admitted to clearing the plot despite a court order not to do so.
When asked why he had breached the order with the matter still pending he explained that “I was sick and the place was getting in bandon and people were throwing rubbish.
“It was a nuisance, so we cleared it up,” he explained.