Days after Mon Repos residents clashed over Colour Me Orange jobs in San Fernando, Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal has promised that 500 southerners will soon get jobs in the programme. Speaking to reporters after attending the EMA's Eco-song competition at the Naparima Bowl on Monday, Moonilal said more than 7,000 people have applied for jobs in the recently launched programme. "We have been doing registration for south Trinidad and we intend this week to do a tour and execute the programme," Moonilal said. He added that the programme will take place only on HDC estates. "We are looking at doing the launch at the Southern Academy of Performing Arts," Moonilal said, adding that the venue will be handed over to the Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism sometime before Christmas.
Acknowledging that there are people from San Fernando looking for jobs, Moonilal said: "We are asking that they register and we will select people from these estates to work in the Colour Me Orange programme." "We expect in south Trinidad that 500 people will get jobs. The demand is so huge for jobs. We started with a figure of 2,000 but we have had 7,000 applicants. It is my intention to speak to the Minister of Finance to locate further funding for this programme so we can extend it to much more people." Moonilal also said that the multi-million dollar Chancery Lane complex will be opened before Christmas. "We have planned an opening of Chancery Lane facilities somewhere around December 21. We expect to have the facilities available to members of the public and the medical establishment in south Trinidad before Christmas. We are on target and we are working day and night on that."
He also reiterated that the Naparima Bowl is not in any danger. "There is no need to save the Bowl because the Bowl is not being broken or mashed up. What we are looking at is to do some minor redesigning to have more lectures and seminars. "You don't have to break down the Bowl to have training lectures and so on. The Bowl was never at any risk of being changed or demolished. It was simply to use it for other purposes as well including training, which can take place simultaneously with culture," Moonilal explained. He added that Cabinet will soon discuss establishment of a building code to deal with minimum standards required by developers and contractors in the public and private sector.
During the EMA function, 20 schools participated in the song competition. Some of the performers were Reshawn Goodridge of St Mary's College and Tenique Beckles of Couva West Secondary, Nikita Duncan of ASJA Girls, Anthony Batson of Couva West and Whitney Sooklalsingh of ASJA Girls.