Works Ministry says cops probing ‘unpatriotic’ Barrackpore protests

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Accusing the Government of neglect, residents reached their boiling point yesterday, blocking several areas in Barrackpore and environs with burning debris.

But the Ministry of Works said the police would be probing the protest, which damaged crucial infrastructure.

Commencing the protest from as early as 5 am, residents not only blocked outsiders from entering the community, but they also locked themselves in, a sacrifice most of them were willing to take.

With some residents bearing placards, they protested in the road as the debris burned, unfazed by the State of Emergency, or by the police presence.

A resident who only identified himself as Randy, said the residents were frustrated.

“For the past six years not a single pothole has been fixed by the Government. The business people in Barrackpore took it upon themselves twice, three times to fix the road, what they own and up to this day, the Government has not done a single project to repair these roads.

“Six years in a row, no water constantly, every single day. Kanhai Road has not had water for the past month.”

The residents said they would continue to protest until their issues were addressed.

“It used to take 12 minutes from Barrackpore to San Fernando just six years ago…now it takes 45 minutes to an hour just to reach San Fernando,” said Randy.

Another resident who gave his name as Dhanpaul complained that the bad roads were “mashing up” their vehicles.

“This is a general frustration of a combination of issues whether it be no water in the area, whether it be unemployment, but the roads are really terrible, we have little or none, no representation,” Dhanpaul complained.

Taxi driver Sonny Deosaran complained that he bought a Nissan Almera in February and since then he had spent $4,000 to change auto shocks.

“So how I minding my wife and children? You have to be telling me to beg,” he lamented.

Support from MPs

Standing in solidarity with the residents, Moruga/Tableland MP Michelle Benjamin called on the Ministers of Works, Agriculture and Public Utilities Minister to address the residents’ concerns.

Noting that the entire Barrackpore area was affected by the protests, Benjamin said she also received reports of protests at Indian Walk and Hindustan.

As the Shadow Minister of Public Utilities, Princes Town MP Barry Padarath, called on Minister Marvin Gonzales to intervene as he said repeated calls to WASA to bring relief to residents in parts of south and central Trinidad have fallen on deaf ears.

Lending support to the residents, Padarath accused the government of spite, malice, and geographical discrimination.

Unpatriotic protest—Works Ministry

Responding to the protest, the Works and Transport Ministry described the residents’ actions as irresponsible, accusing the residents of causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

It said the police service was investigating.

While acknowledging the challenges facing residents and motorists in the community and the need for residents to voice their concerns, the ministry, in a press release, called the protest unpatriotic.

“The Ministry is currently treating with the challenge of maintaining and rehabilitating aged and ageing infrastructure which is an expensive undertaking.

“Therefore such actions only serve to undermine the work being done by the Highway Division, given our current financial constraints.”

The protest affected seven locations along the Barrackpore connector roads.

The ministry said it would cost $375,000 to repair the asphalt surface that was damaged by the fires.

“The funding now required for repair works could have been utilised for other critical road rehabilitation works in the community.”

The ministry also stated that over the last year the Highway Division had undertaken routine road maintenance in the Barrackpore area which included the patching of over 1,770 square meters of roadway with asphalt.

The release further stated that a recent assessment indicated that the Rochard Douglas Road is generally good, despite localised failures caused by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA).

It added the condition of the Papourie and St Croix Road is of concern because of landslips and work will be done to address these issues.