No need to widen North Coast Road

THE EDITOR: The North Coast Road to Maracas Bay must certainly be the most scenic drive in the Caribbean and no one in his right mind would think of widening this roadway. To do so would only ruin its grandeur. This is precisely what has occurred in our sister isle. The gravel road from L’Anse Fourmi to Charlotteville cut more than 50 years ago only required paving. There was absolutely no need to widen it, except around a few corners. And this could have been judiciously engineered. On several occasions I have walked as well as driven the entire length of this road.

There was no justification for increasing its width. Only the contractor stands to gain. The THA (they must take responsibility) has not only ruined a magnificent landscape but has wasted tax payers’ money which could have been utilised to improve other roads. Two come immediately to mind — the road to Canoe Bay as well as the road to the Rainbow Falls. And very few people have had the privilege of visiting Starwood. The road is already cut and all that is required is an asphalt surface. (The panoramic view of Little Tobago from Starwood is awesome).

One would have thought that after the colossal (as well as criminal) wastage of public funds on the Providence Road, the THA would have prudent in its expenditure. Like the fruiting mango tress that once lined the Providence Road, the innumerable trees that provided a canopy for the L’Anse Fourmi — Charlotteville Road are no more. The drive is most depressing, to say the least and the hideous scars inflicted will take a hundred years to heal. That this could have happened in the incredibly wonderful island that is Tobago only reveals how insensitive to the beauty of nature we have all become.  It is only too obvious that the mindless destruction of the natural world is the hallmark of the Patrick Manning administration.

ISHMAEL SAMAD
Maraval