PM: No enrichment in highway project

NO-ONE will get unduly rich off of land acquisition to build the Valencia to Toco highway, vowed the Prime Minister on Monday in reply to a question by Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh during PM’s question time.

Dr Rowley told the House of Representatives that major plots of land that may be needed have not been acquired yet.

“The process to get to that stage is under way. But what I want to tell my colleague from Caroni East is that the one thing you could be assured of is that major or minor acquisition on this highway, taxpayers can rest assured there will be no squandermania and lawyer enriching, as happened on the highway from San Fernando to Point Fortin under the last government, where land acquisition was one of the sources of rape of the Treasury in TT.”