Corporation chairman: Grande is suffering

CHAIRMAN of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation (SGRC) Anil Juteram wants greater priority to be placed on local government.

Juteram said he understands cuts are being made across the board owing to the pandemic. However, he said the very said pandemic has increased the demand for its services and resources are stretched beyond the limit.

In addition, he said, the region often has to assist state agencies and ministries which have their own budget. He said the corporation represents eight electoral districts which span a quarter of the land space of Trinidad and Tobago and is approximately four times the size of Tobago.

Yet a lack of timely and limited releases from the Ministry of Finance makes it difficult to live up to its responsibilities. He said more emphasis must be placed on the 54-year-old region.

“At times we are grounded and sometimes we find ourselves in a stagnant position. Most of our vehicles are down and we have no releases to purchase parts to have vehicles repaired while some are aged so severely, they are unserviceable.”

Juteram said maintenance of recreation grounds is another problem as the funding even to buy cutting blades for graders is just not available.

“The little funds we have is barely sufficient to purchase diesel to keep the vehicles that are working mobile. At times we have no money to even purchase a fuse, that’s how good it is in this region.”

Juteram clarified that his comments are not to be seen as an attack on any member of the corporation, the CEO or administrative staff.

He explained an increase in unplanned development, “what we call squatters, the demand for water services, drainage services and roads to be serviced have increased significantly.

“For example, we made a request to the Ministry of Finance for $3.5 million for water truck services but we got a measly $800,000.”

With the pandemic, the corporation is being called to do additional sanitising of public spaces, including commercial places in the town centre and vendors' market.

“We have assisted the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Education, the NIS and PTSC, the Sangre Grande Magistrates Court, fire station, police stations at Sangre Grande, Valencia, Matura and Toco.”

“We are operating with an outdated 1966 cadre of workers but our workload has increased by 500 per cent from when we started.”

Often, he said the region is called upon to provide the use of its backhoe and truck to assist the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) as well as the Ministry of Works in the district.