Mayor condemns illegal structures

San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello has advised his engineering department to get out of their office and deal with illegal infrastructure in the city which pose a risk to life and limb. This in the midst of natural disasters devastating countries across the globe. Regrello said they have identified some 150 illegal structures in the city and should this country get hit with a hurricane, tsunami or earthquake, the result could be catastrophic.

“The whole world is in turmoil. We don’t know where the next shake up is coming. We have to put our house in order and be prepared because strange things are happening.”

“Sorry to say that this is a tall order for the engineering department, especially after the horse has bolted, but we have to bring back law and order in this country,” Regrello said at the San Fernando statutory meeting on Wednesday.

He said they are also dealing with the serious issue of land grabbing, identifying state lands in La Romaine being cleared and backfilled by private citizens. In the Spring Vale area, a hilly expanse overlooking the Gulf of Paria at King’s Wharf, Regrello said four story buildings are also under construction. He said one of the developers was issued a stop notice by Town and Country but the construction is continuing. “Because the land is sloping, the developers are erecting pillars as high as 40 feet. Anytime you have any kind of shifting of the soil or some kind of disaster, those buildings could come down and cause a lot of damage. “We have to be protectors of the citizens. I have asked the engineering department to start investigating all of these structures, to be proactive because after a while, with no one paying attention, these people could claim the land.”