Cement shortage hits hard

For the past few weeks, cement has been scarce at hardware stores.

Hardware Dealers Co-operative (HDC) president, Uric Bhagwansingh, told Newsday that members of the association had complained about the lack of cement.

"I got an explanation from TCL (Trinidad Cement Ltd) and they said we will have cement soon," Bhagwansingh said.

He said he is hoping that members of HDC will be able to manage with the cement shortage over the next three to four days until the next shipment comes in from Barbados.

While Newsday was interviewing Bhagwansingh, a few customers who had come to buy large quantities of cement were told they could only get a limited quantity. In a press release, Member of Parliament for Chaguanas, Manohar Ramsaran, said he received numerous complaints about the cement shortage at hardwares.

Ramsaran is calling on Trade Minister Ken Valley to investigate the matter because the construction industry is being hit hard by the shortage.

"If TCL cannot meet the domestic demand, the minister must allow the importation of cement with a lower tariff," he stated.

However, residents at El Socorro Extension Road in San Juan blocked the road to the cement distribution warehouse with debris, preventing the TCL trucks from entering the facility.

The residents said that the trucks were too noisy and raised huge amounts of dust on the narrow roads.

TCL’s Communication Manager, Michelle Langton, said they were upgrading the system and things will be back to working order in less than a week.

"There is a tightening of supplies, but not a shortage," she stated.

Langton said they are now working with the San Juan residents to avoid discomfort and arrive at mutually beneficial solutions.