Ministers, Mayor, and police chief to attend Woodbrook town meeting

FIVE GOVERNMENT Ministers, along with Port-of-Spain Mayor Murchison Brown and Police Commissioner Everald Snaggs, are among public officials expected to take part in a town meeting organised by the Woodbrook Residents Committee. The Ministers are Planning Minister Camille Robinson-Regis, Local Government Minister Rennie Dumas, Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Works Minister Franklyn Khan and MP for the area, Energy Minister Eric Williams. The meeting, which takes place tomorrow at 7 pm at the Wood-brook Youth Facility, has been called to discuss residents’ concerns about illegal commercial activity in the district and flooding.

Spokespersons for the group, Joanne Stephens and Lynette Dolly said there was “grave concern” about the increased number of residential properties in the district which have been converted into “illegal commercial enterprises, in the zones that have not been declared commercial.” They said in a statement: “Resi-dents are being forced, in some instances with little choice, to sell to entrepreneurs, who threaten them and make life very uncomfortable, leaving no choice but to sell and get out. “They then rent or occupy the properties for business, without permission, making no allowances for parking and other amenities, causing traffic congestions on the streets.

The opening of casinos in these undesignated, commercial areas is also leading to criminal activity, noise all day and night from people coming and going and gross indiscipline in the area.” According to the committee spokespersons, the proliferation of residents has led to an increase in poor sanitation, including rat and roach infestations, and seepage of untrapped effluent into waterways. The group is also concerned about flooding which they are blaming for the most part on construction taking place at Invaders Bay and the hillsides, as well as illegal structures.