5,000 Families On Bauxite Lands To Receive Titles

Approximately 5,000 families that have been occupying bauxite lands for several years are set to receive titles for those properties.

The Government will facilitate this process through the use of the power of vesting orders under the Bauxite and Alumina Industries (Special Provisions) Act.

Making the disclosure, Minister of Transport and Mining, Hon. Robert Montague, said that the Ministry has consulted with the Attorney General’s Chambers and has “got the go-ahead to use the power of vesting orders”.

“This facility was always used to help the companies. This time, this Government is going to use it for the first time to assist the… families that are waiting on a title,” he noted.

Minister Montague, who was making his contribution to the 2020/2021 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (June 2), lamented that these families have been without titles for periods of up to 50 years.

He noted that since he took chairmanship of the Bauxite Lands Titling Committee, just over 250 titles have been issued, arguing that “this is not good enough”.

The Minister pointed out that the use of the power of vesting orders, along with the recently passed amendment to the Special Provisions Act, will ensure that more titles are issued.

“Once the land is vested in a person or entity, the Commissioner of Lands will not need to look beyond the vesting order to proceed to title,” he noted.

Minister Montague also informed that the Government has enlisted the assistance of the bauxite companies in ensuring that they put in place the basic infrastructure for these properties, including roads, light and water.

The properties are parcels of land on which the families have been resettled by various bauxite mining companies.