Moonilal: Shortcuts making Mosquito Creek crumble like Crix

Mosquito Creek, now a "crack," is crumbling like a Crix biscuit by the hour and looking like a paratha roti, because substandard material was used and substandard work done to cut costs.

Offering this explanation, Opposition MP Dr Roodal Moonilal rubbished NIDCO’s account that this segment of the road was highly prone to failure.

He said the road which collapsed was the pathway of an old road, in existence for over 42 years, which had remained stable until now.

Large cracks began appearing on the Mosquito Creek, part of the Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension to Point Fortin Project, last weekend. Construction stopped for engineering consultant AECOM to assess the damage and make recommendations.

NIDCO attributed the movement to land instability.

From a United National Congress (UNC) Virtual Report platform on Monday night, Moonilal showed a video of the collapse of the segment of roadworks titled Package 5 A.

“This nonsense from NIDCO about 'This segment was prone to high failure' is rubbish," he argued. "This has to do with the decisions of the Rowley government, NICDO and the contractors. They wanted to cut costs, use cheap materials and do substandard work.”

He said the issue deserved a full commission of inquiry (COI) and the resignation of Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan.

Moonilal dared the Prime Minister to amend the terms of reference for the established COI into land acquisition and add to that the collapse of the $280-million package 5A segment, which was awarded in May 2018.

He said the UNC, which initiated the project and land-acquisition arrangements under the People’s Partnership (PP) Government, had nothing to hide.

He charged, “NIDCO under the supervision of the Minister of Works and the Prime Minister, decided to take shortcuts, adopted flawed engineering designs, ignored geotechnical advice and used substandard materials.

“This job required, we are told, piling along the sea wall, to cater for hydrologic stress, tidal variation, and inland drainage challenges.

“They decided to cancel, using materials from St Lucia, and were directed from a high official to use materials from Tobago that were sub-standard."

He queried a connection between the businessman involved in the quarry from which the material was procured and a “high politician.”

“These matters must be inquired into. An inquiry and a scientific analysis must ask whether the rock quality, size placement from Studley Park
is compliant with engineering specifications,”

Speculating that the cost of repairs would be close to an additional $50 million, he said taxpayers should not be burdened with this cost at a time when the economy is taking a beating.

“The segment 5A is now crumbling like a Crix biscuit by the hour. The creek is now a crack. The Shore of Peace (cremation site) is the shore of pieces.”

Moonilal also cast aspersions on the engagement of some of the contractors on the highway project who are also involved in the construction of the five-storey building behind Balisier House, the PNM's headquarters in Port of Spain.

Environmental activist group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) said in a release that it had warned it was ill-advised to build in mangroves or on the edge of wetlands. FFOS secretary Gary Aboud said what has happened on the creek is that $281 million has washed away and is symptomatic of what is to come in the future.