Wednesday, August 8 2012

Roads in Caparo, central Trinidad were made for donkey carts, not modern day vehicles, Works and Infrastructure Minister Emmanuel George declared yesterday.

George was speaking during a tour to evaluate infrastructural needs of various areas in the Caroni Central constituency.

He told reporters at a stop in Caparo that although fixing the roads was a priority, it will take time to get the repairs done.

“The job has to be done in a structured way by strengthening the roads before they are paved,” he said, explaining these were canefield roads, and they were made for donkey carts.

The roads were not able to withstand the trauma of modern day heavy vehicles, he said.

George’s visit to central Trinidad follows protest action by Caparo residents on July 2 when they complained about a lack of water and deplorable road conditions.

The residents had blocked Caparo’s Main Road from 4 am that day with burning debris. George did not meet with residents during yesterday’s visit.

He told reporters he has been touring different parts of Trinidad focusing on landslips, bridges and roadways. He said a visit to Princes Town weeks ago led to an estimate of $1 billion to fix the roads. He said infrastructural repairs in the Moruga and Tableland constituencies will also cost $1 billion.

“The Caparo road will require a significant amount but it will not cost that much,” he said.

He said information on the infrastructural needs of various areas in central Trinidad will be collected and forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for inclusion in budget projections.

“I want to make this project a priority,” he added.

People and Social Development Minister Glenn Ramadharsingh, who accompanied George on the visit, noted the Caparo Main Road connects to Freeport through Chickland.

He said the aim is to connect the communities to bring an end to the economic depression in the villages which followed the closure of Caroni (1975) Ltd.

“The lack of economic activity has caused many social problems and we intend to change that,” Ramadhasingh said.