Rambharat: PNM did not interfere with Charles Persad quarry

SEETA PERSAD

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat has insisted that, contrary to claims by Maha Sabha Secretary General Sat Maharaj, the PNM-led administration is not to be blamed for squeezing out small contractors from sand quarrying operations.

Addressing a news conference at the Ministry’s head offices in Chaguanas yesterday afternoon, Rambharat said no government minister took steps to remove Ramnarine Charles Persad Quarry Limited (Charles Persad). Maharaj had accused Government of trying to take away the operations from the company.

“It is not the PNM Government that took steps to remove that contractor Charles Persad from the Coco Road Quarry,” Rambharat said. He said it was on June 9, 2015 under the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led government, that the Estate Management and Business Development Company Limited (EMBD) wrote to Charles Persad, informing him of certain breaches in his contractual arrangement with respect to the operation of the Coco Road site.

He said the letter also stated that the contract would be terminated.

“It was a UNC minister under Persad-Bissessar who was trying to squeeze out Charles Persad in favour of the bigger contractors,” he said as he addressed the news conference yesterday.

“No government minister from this administration is trying to put any contractor out of business.

“In November 2003, Cabinet took a decision to transfer responsibilities of certain quarry sites operated by the then Caroni 1975 Limited to the EMBD.”

He noted that EMBD must now apply for licences for these quarries.

Most importantly, he said EMBD, through competitive tender, engaged operators of these quarry sites and payments must be on the basis of volumes extracted from the sites.