Rondon upset with nasty beach campers

Thousands of campers converged on the beaches and rivers in the area over the weekend, but Rondon said there were no incidents of violence and thanked the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation Municipal Police for coming out in full force. He said if one called the Matelot, Toco and Mathura police stations they would find that there was no violent incidents over the weekend.

“What the people come to Toco for?” Rondon asked. “Clean water and security.” He said he was saddened particularly because the region would experience a bigger influx of visitors for Easter in the next few weeks and it is the Regional Corporation which has to use its limited funds to try to provide for them. He said he went to a meeting with the Minister of Tourism and outlined his needs but the minister said the ministry had five areas of focus and Toco was not one of them and that the beach is private land.

He said the ministry had built a lifeguard hut on the beach and the ministry is still saying that it is private property. However, the Ministry of Tourism responded yesterday that it is not responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the Salybia Beach in Toco. The ministry said its marketing and implementation agency, the Tourism Development Company Limited is responsible for five facilities: the La Brea Pitch Lake; and the Manzanilla; Maracas; Las Cuevas and Vessigny beaches.