Sando mayor bombarded with bad-road complaints

YVONNE WEBB

SAN FERNANDO Mayor Junia Regrello said he is bombarded by complaints of bad roads in the city, as the national road patching exercise has been put on hold.

The National Road Maintenance exercise, which identified the elimination of potholes as a priority, was launched by the Ministry of Works in collaboration with the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government prior to Carnival. Regrello said the exercise was put on hold over the Carnival days and has not restarted.

Works Minister Rohan Sinanan, who admitted to having his hands full with the landslip on the Lady Young Road, Port of Spain and the coastal erosion in Cedros, is promising to sort out the problem soon. Speaking at the San Fernando City Corporation’s statutory meeting on Wednesday, Regrello said he has been bombarded with complaints from citizens and business people about the state of the roads in the city.

“I am getting complaints every day from Marabella all the way to La Romaine. It is really bad. We have to address these issues. There are potholes all over the main arteries and that has a wear-and-tear effect on vehicles and on people’s pockets.”

In response to a request for an update on the issues, CEO of the San Fernando City Corporation, Indarjit Singh said there seems to be some change in the rules of engagement. He said the corporation is now being asked to provide material as well as labour on weekends, which would entail an additional cost and engaging of its workforce in the use of hot mix – a skill they do not possess.

Singh said he has explained to the Director of Highways Navin Ramsingh, that the corporation’s workforce expertise lies in the use of cold mix, not hot mix which requires special personal protection equipment and training.

Regrello said they cannot supply material which they don’t have neither can they provide expertise in a field they do not possess. “So, we need to revisit that because while the grass is growing, San Fernando roads are in a mess.”