PNM Chaguanas East candidate under scrutiny of UNC

PNM Chaguanas East hopeful Senator Richie Sookhai came in for some blows from incumbent MP Vandana Mohit as she mounted a United National Congress (UNC) platform in the constituency on January 27.

In a fiery attack, Mohit told constituents gathered at Chaguanas South Secondary School to judge Sookhai, a former chamber president and now Minister in the Ministry of Works, on what she called the failed extension of the Solomon Hochoy Highway from Brentwood Mall to Chase Village, Chaguanas.

She said after two missed deadlines and millions spent, there is no end in sight for the project, which has become a thorn in the side of commuters stuck in prolonged traffic jams as a result.

The project to widen the highway to three lanes started in January 2024 at an initial cost of $65 million.

“His track record on this project alone does not repose confidence. He was supposed to complete it in August 2024 – big sign on the highway.

"He came back and say end of December 2024 – that gone. "Now he asking for the population to bear with him and failing to provide an anticipated completion date?”

Newsday reported the Ministry of Works as saying on January 27 that the project, which falls under its Programme for Upgrading Roads Efficiency (PURE) Unit, was 70 per cent complete.

It admitted to delays, but assured the budget was on track and it was working around the clock to ensure completion and reduce traffic congestion.

Mohit was not convinced, neither her colleague, Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal who, speaking on the same platform, said the project is plagued with design problems and use of inferior materials .

He elicted laughter from the audience as he said the design might have been undertaken by the cartoon character Fred Flintstone.

Expressing doubt that it would ever be completed, he ventured, “When that fella who wants to be a candidate and MP (Sookhai) comes around asking for your vote, ask him aout this road. He cannot build quarter of a mile of road, but he wants to be minister and MP.”

He declared the constituency was standing strong with Mohit, their “warrior sister.”

Engaging her audience, giving an account of her tenure as MP, she warned that her opponent is trying to buy their trust with empty promises.

“My primary opponent has emerged, backed by state machinery and overflowing resources – but let me remind you: leadership is not for sale.”

She questioned his action when roads were impassable, families displaced and students need advocacy.

"Let us not forget the neglect of the People’s National Movement (PNM) government, a government that has systematically ignored the cries of our constituency.

“Despite numerous requests for intervention, they have failed to address the spiralling crime rate that threatens our safety and peace of mind. From Cunupia to Montrose, residents have pleaded for action, for resources and for proper policing.

“The PNM’s neglect is not just incompetence, it is a betrayal of our trust and our rights as citizens.”

Chaganas mayor Faaiq Mohammed, a co-chair of the meeting, called on Finance Minister Colm Imbert to give an explanation about the $91 million in property tax the government said it had “in hand” in the 2024/2025 budget

“They proudly boasted about collecting this money, yet to this day, local government bodies – including the Chaguanas Borough Corporation – have not received a single cent of their promised share.”

He said while neither he nor his party supports the "oppressive" property tax, the borough had been promised $11.5 million to fund essential services such as road repairs, drain cleaning, and community projects that directly affect the lives of its people.

“But guess what? Not a single cent has been received. So once again, I ask – where is the money?

“The people of TT deserve answers. We are tired of the excuses, tired of the secrecy, and tired of a government that continuously fails to prioritise the needs of the people over their own interests.”

Mohammed said the UNC would not stop asking questions and demanded accountability.