Nagessar hits Govt’s new company

THE OPPOSITION is not impressed with Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s recent pledge for a new company to visit afflicted communities to fix needy facilities. He announced the formation of the Community Improvement Company, as he toured flood-hit Kelly Village. But Chaguanas Deputy Mayor, Orlando Nagessar was sceptical. He yesterday told Newsday: “It is another avenue I suppose which will undermine the functioning of the regional corporations. This has already been done through the CEPEP and URP which were brought into the corporations without any contribution from the corporations.” He said the RCs had protested how CEPEP and URP had been implemented, but to no avail. He said that while the corporations welcomed any upliftment in their areas, discussions should first be held with them so they would be able to monitor the works.

“The corporations should be consulted with regard to the implementation of any programme or project within the boundaries of the corporation.” Nagessar noted that Government had recently launched another programme — the Infrastructure Renewal Improvement and Development (IRID) Programme — to do local works, but which it directly controlled. “The IRID Programme to do drains in the regions is controlled by the Ministry of Local Government in Port-of-Spain. They have given out contracts. In Chaguanas there are 15 drains.” He remarked that in some cases the works were being done to a sub-standard level. “So you have CEPEP, URP, IRID and now they are bringing this new programme. I hope it is not a programme to be controlled by head office and done for political mileage.”