TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, June 1 - Thirty eight former Petrotrin employees moved one step closer to owning their own homes on Wednesday when they selected housing lots in a random draw coordinated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Land Settlement Agency (LSA) at the South West Regional Indoor Sports Facility in  Egypt Village, Point Fortin.   

The lot selection ceremony followed a rigorous vetting process conducted by the LSA on the hundreds of applications received in response to Government’s decision to allocate previously idle state lands to the former employees following the restructuring of Petrotrin in 2019. The process will be completed with the provision of Deeds of lease for their selected plots. Utilizing its whole of Government approach, the LSA has committed to partnering with the Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Finance Company to assist the recipients in securing mortgages. 

Speaking at the ceremony was Housing and Urban Development Minister, the Honourable Camille Robinson-Regis who urged the recipients to embrace this most important step towards homeownership, as a means of ensuring a legacy is handed down to their families. According to Minister Robinson-Regis, “Many of us began with nothing, without any inheritance, but today, as a result of this exercise, you are in a position to alter the trajectory of your own family and the next generation.”   

Citing Government’s commitment to the enhancement of the quality of life for all citizens, the Minister urged the recipients to embrace the new opportunity being presented to them, especially as it aligned with the Government’s Vision 2030 which puts people at the centre of all development.

In congratulating the recipients, Minister Robinson-Regis pointed to other sites already earmarked for further allocation to more former employees. These sites include Allamby, Ste Madeleine and Golconda in San Fernando, Glenroy II in Princes Town and Balmain, Couva.