Angry residents blocked roads with piles of burning debris, causing severe traffic congestion in Point Fortin and La Brea yesterday.The residents were protesting poor road conditions and high levels of unemployment in their communities.
The fiery protests began at 4 am with residents blocking the roads at La Brea, Sobo Village, Vance River, Gonzales, Cap-de-Ville, Central Round About and Warden Road.Several commuters were stuck in traffic for hours, with some trying to find alternate routes to their destinations.
The Point Fortin/San Fernando Taxi Drivers Association was part of the protest.The protesters, who were calling for a visit to the area by government officials, shouted: "We want Kamla and Jack to come down her and visit us!"
President of the Vance River Village Council, Reuben Daniel, said the protests were intended to show residents' frustration at road conditions, unemployment and the need for a new hospital in Point Fortin."From early this morning, villagers came out and blocked the roads in various communities...We are saying that we want things to change now," he said.
"We want a new hospital and we have been asking for that some time now."We want our roads repaired...It is damaging our vehicles and we have to spend excess amounts of money to fix it."There is too much unemployment in these areas, people need jobs."We also have a neglect of community development, we need recreational parks, we need to see our sporting facilities restored."
Daniel appealed to the relevant government ministers to meet with residents to bring about change in the area: "Only through this meeting, our protest will stop," he said.There was a heavy police presence at roads which were blocked.In Gonzales, residents blocked the roadway several times after they had been cleared away by the police.
However, they allowed an ambulance transporting a patient to the San Fernando General Hospital to go through.Point Fortin mayor Clyde Paul and La Brea MP Fitzgerald Jeffrey said they supported the people in their struggle for good governance.In a telephone interview, Paul said the Ministry of Works should have repaired the roads a long time ago. He said the road from Rousillac to Buenos Ayres was in deplorable condition.
Jeffrey said he was disturbed by the condition of the roads in La Brea."When I look at roads in Chaguanas, Couva, Debe and Penal, they are paved really well," he said."Not a single road in La Brea was paved under the People's Partnership."