Naparima MP to bus protesters to PoS

AS Barrackpore residents and taxi drivers blocked roads and burned tyres for a second day yesterday, Ministry of Works employees were dispatched to patch potholes and level an uneven hill leading into the area.

Using trucks and other equipment belonging to the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation (PDRC) the workers graded part of the road on Trinidad Hill and filled potholes in Lower Barrackpore.

Dozens of protesters voiced their frustration over the dilapidated roads in the area on Monday, shutting down all major routes in and out of Barrackpore.

Yesterday they met their MP Rodney Charles at his office on the Rochard Douglas Road, Barrackpore around 11am and heaped criticism on him, as they say he has been an absentee MP.

But at the end of the meeting, the group agreed to picket the office of Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan in a bid to get the roads repaired properly.

Councilors Kheymwetti Chulan and Brian Julien, both of the PDRC, and councillors Joseph Lorant and Rafi Mohammed of the Princes Town Regional Corporation also addressed the residents.

Deoraj Ramlogan, secretary of the Barrackpore/St Croix Taxi Association, said it was unfair that people had to protest for their issues to be heard.

“Roads, water and lights supposed to be a must in the community. We shouldn’t have to protest for these things in this day and age,” Ramlogan said. “As taxi drivers using the Lengua/Barrackpore Road on a daily basis, we see plenty trouble every day with potholes, landslips…we have to keep dodging holes all day and sometimes when you can’t dodge, you end up with bust tyres, ball joints falling out and even transmissions dragging.”

He asked Charles for help in representing them in Parliament.

But Keith Balkissoon, a member of the Barrackpore/San Fernando Taxi Association, said he is fed up with poor representation from United National Congress (UNC) MPs.

“For the past umpteen years, you can put a frog with a tie, write ‘UNC,’ and Naparima seat win.We had another MP down the road; everybody complain about him.

“MP (Charles), we know you newly come to Naparima and we are begging you to help us as our representative. If we have to continue with protests, we will do it.”

Balkissoon said the protests will continue until the roads are properly repaired.

“This patching thing will not work again, we don’t want that again. We are giving you two weeks or we will resort to our same action.”

But addressing the residents, Charles explained the limitations faced by the councillors and said he has been actively campaigning for road repairs and other urgent fixes for the area.

“Being in opposition is the most frustrating thing in the world. To even ask a question in Parliament, it must be first approved by the Speaker and nine out of ten times, it is not.”

“But in this country, being polite and writing nicely-worded letters comes off as a sign of weakness.

“We cannot break the law or encourage you to break the law, but we support your cause. If you did not protest, Sinanan would have never made a statement about this.”

He accused Central Government of starving the regional corporations in UNC strongholds of resources to make councillors and MPs look bad.

“Do you know Tobago gets 150 times per capita what you get in Barrackpore? You can’t take people’s taxes and then give them nothing in return and leave Charles to be the bobolee and take the blame.”

He promised to take the protesters to Port of Spain to demonstrate in front of Sinanan’s office, telling them he would pay for their transport.