The Ministry of Works and Infrastructure needs $1 billion in the Budget for fiscal 2012-2013. This was stated by Emmanuel George, Minister of Works and Infrastructure. He was speaking with the media on Tuesday evening when, along with Couva South MP, Rudranath Indarsingh, he went to Balmain Village, Couva, to address the concerns of residents who are adversely affected since the closure of a major bridge in the district.
George said his ministry got $700 million in the last budget and that the $1 billion requested was not enough but he was mindful of the challenges the Minister of Finance faced. He said he would be writing all MPs requesting of them a list of the important roads, drains and landslips that must be attended to.
" I have asked people not to give me all but the ten or 15 most important ones so that we can try to budget for these," George said. Once those were fixed, he said work could start on other projects in the next financial year. However, he said, some areas, such as Princes Town, Moruga and Tableland, might take the entire budget of his ministry and two years to fix.
George said construction of the bridge at Balmain would begin in November and take one year to complete. He said $3 million from another project would be diverted to upgrade the Camden Road for the 5,000-plus residents to use in the interim.
Residents had complained that heavy trucks operating in the district were responsible for damaging the roads and bridges. One said even though there were signs indicating weight limitations, vehicles exceeding the stipulations were sometimes escorted by police. George said the ministry also would be installing height-restriction bars to prevent extra large vehicles from passing on the Camden Road when it was rehabilitated.
Indarsingh called on villagers to be vigilant and report any abuse of the roadway to the police and his office. He said he wanted to ensure persons breaking the law and damaging the roads would be brought before the courts.