Port-of-Spain: Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has condemned the manner in which the Housing Development Corporation bulldozed lands occupied by farmers on Easter Monday.
In her first conclusive public statement on the issue since her return home from Brazil, the prime minister says those in authority must be mindful of the way they enforce the law. She denied however that she knew anything of an ultimatum from the farmers to meet with them by midday today.
Some 40 acres worth of crops were destroyed by bulldozers on Easter Monday causing farmers to question government's commitment to agriculture as outlined in its election manifesto.
The prime minister has already received written briefs from both the Minister of Housing Dr Roodal Moonilal and the Minister of Food Production Vasant Bharath on what transpired and has said she's not happy.
She has sounded a warning that no one should take her pronouncements as official government position or to intrerpret it to mean that she is in favour of the illegal occupation of lands.
While she did not want to divulge too much to prejudice further discussions between her ministers and the farmers she said she wants the farmers to know that her mandate to the ministers involved, is that a balance must be struck between the construction of houses and food production.
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