Achieving city status will increase the economic potential of Chaguanas, according to Richard Young, chairman of the Economic Development Board of T&T.He said so when he met recently with stakeholders from the borough at the new Chaguanas Town Hall."The idea is to get things in place that will work towards that," he said."I think people recognise that there is congestion on the streets...and we need to come up with a game plan to solve that."
Young said there was also a challenge with street vending that needs to be addressed.Ritchie Sookhai, president of the Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce, said structured planning is on the cards for future growth.He said: "All construction now will pass through a steering committee we are trying to establish so that Chaguanas growth will be through structured development."
Sookhai added that city status is more than a name change: "We hope to have better infrastructure in terms of the traffic plan and more business and a more vibrant borough and city."He said if some areas are redesigned more businesses can come into Chaguanas.Mayor Gopaul Boodhan said discussions with stakeholders would continue over the next two weeks on issues surrounding the market and traffic management.