Glencoe people blocking Toco

People obstructing the highway from Cumuto to Toco were selling land in Glencoe to be bulldozed which was rich in wildlife, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has claimed.

He was speaking on Thursday night at a People’s National Movement public meeting at Barataria Community Centre as part of the campaign for the July 6 by-elections in Barataria and Belmont East.

Rowley said the Toco highway was the only highway in this country to be built where every single approval, including local government, has been obtained.

“And of course, we in the court fighting towards that. People in this country whose approach to trying to get their control is to try and obstruct and stop every God-in-heaven-thing that this country tries to do for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.” He said the entire dry season was lost and the people of Valencia, Sangre Grande, Cumana, Rampanalgas, Toco and Tobago were denied access that was being built for them via the highway.

“There is some people in this country who don’t want that.”

He said there was a piece of land in Glencoe under forest that had monkeys, snakes, butterflies agoutis and lappes that was for sale for development.

“For the forest to be bulldozed. To crowd up the roads in Glencoe. To create flooding in Glencoe. To disrupt the habitat of the monkey and the lappe and the agouti and the tattoo. But the same owners of that land who have it for sale for millions of dollars for their pocket, running up to Toco telling people in Toco don’t let Government build no (sic) road because monkey passing there and agouti pass there last night.” Rowley said when it was time to develop infrastructure for the wide national community there were issues raised about infrastructure and the environment.

“But when it is time to destroy a forest in Glencoe they not interested in that.” In March, environmental activist group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) had again lost its challenge to the permission given to the State to begin the multi-million dollar Churchill-Roosevelt Highway extension to Manzanilla.

The FFOS challenged the process used by the EMA for granting a CEC for the $400 million phase one of the project between Cumuto and Guaico, claiming it was procedurally flawed and failed to consider alternative routes which would have less impact on the environment and communities. FFOS also argued the work was affecting the Aripo Savannas forest reserve, which the EMA declared an environmentally sensitive area in 2007.