Perennial flooding, street dwellers, crime and illegal vending which have been at the heart of the capital city's headache will soon be addressed. The assurance was given by Port-of-Spain Mayor Joel Martinez as he outlined some of the measures his corporation will take to deal with these nagging issues.
Street dwellers
Upon assuming office in 2016, Martinez said there was a mandate to address street dwellers in Port-of-Spain.
"I approached the Government and identified a parcel of land near the Riverside Car park to house them."
Martinez said the corporation teamed up with several businesses and embassies to assist in building a centre to house them. "Then I found out those things don't fall under me but rather the Ministry of Social Development," Martinez said.
A committee was later formed, but Martinez said after holding discussions, "It ended up at zero."
Then, he heard that the land on which the centre was earmarked to be built had been taken away by a government agency.
With everything falling flat, Martinez said they came up with a new plan to erect "grill gates" below the Riverside Carpark where NGOs can feed and clothe the socially displaced.
"That is going to start this week. We are not going to allow people to feed the homeless all over the city any more. In that way, they (homeless) will come to one place and while there we will see what their needs are."
This project will cost $200,000.
Martinez agreed that street dwellers make the city unsightly.
"It is irritating and not nice. I have seen homeless in many countries and it could be managed. I will take the first step. I will do the hard work."
Martinez said he had no problem taking money from the corporation's coffers to rid the streets of the socially displaced.
He said the municipal police have been gradually asking the homeless not to converge outside commercial banks on Independence Square.
"We are just waiting on legislation to move them. But in the meantime, we are nudging them along."
A 2018 survey, Martinez said, recorded 430 street dwellers in Port-of-Spain.
"The figure has been growing but not significant."
Crime
On the issue of crime, Martinez expressed confidence that things will get better.
"We have had crime for many years and we allowed it to get out of hand. Now that we are trying to wrestle with it, people want it to fix tomorrow or tonight. We need time because it is engrained in society. It has been allowed to rear its head for too long. We have to get it out of the young minds," Martinez said.
From January 1 to July 26, National Security Minister Stuart Young reported 55 murders in Port-of-Spain alone.
Flooding
And even as Port-of-Spain continues to face flooding, the last being just a week ago, Martinez said the corporation has been cleaning and dredging the East Dry River consistently to channel the water out.
The last clean-up exercise cost the corporation over $150,000.
"We are trying our best not to end up in a flood situation."
The corporation has invested in an early warning alert system which could predict flooding.
"We also started building a drain along South Quay to the Light House to take the rainwater out. Soon we are going to install two pumps to suck the water out."
The pumps have cost taxpayers $2 million.
Illegal vending
Another contentious issue, Martinez said, has been illegal vending—mainly on Charlotte Street.
Martinez said in a few weeks he will ask approximately 500 vendors to register with the corporation so they could be assigned spots. They will be charged for these spots.
"We need some discipline and structure," he said.
The revenues collected from the vendors, Martinez said, will be invested in carts which they can use on the streets.
"It has been tough to run a city with a slashed budget. I work very hard and honestly."
The corporation received an allocation of $230 million in the 2018/2019 Budget.
Martinez, who is an alderman, will know in the coming weeks if the People's National Movement will select him to serve another term as mayor.