KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Transport and Mining, Robert Montague says the Government intends to use the Bauxite and Alumina Industries (Special Provisions) Act to speed up the land-titling process for persons who were previously relocated to facilitate mining activities.

Montague made the announcement in his contribution to the 2021/22 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

 “As we developed our bauxite industry over the years, in many instances, families were relocated, given new homes and new lands, while their titled lands were taken in order to facilitate mining activities. Many of these persons have been waiting for decades to get a land title for the new lands they now occupy. The process has been slow over the years,” he said.     

 “We intend to… speed up this land titling process by using the power of vesting orders, contained in the Act,” he noted.

He said that state minister in the ministry, William JC Hutchinson, has this “important matter” as one of his many areas of responsibility.