George looking for billions to fix roads

Works and Infrastructure Minister Emmanuel George needs billions of dollars which he hopes to get in the 2012/2013 budget to repair roads, bridges and landslips in remote areas. He said so yesterday during an infrastructural assessment tour of the Caroni Central constituency of MP Glenn Ramadharsingh.

Speaking with reporters after viewing a major landslip at Chickland Caparo Road, Freeport, George said he had been visiting remote areas where infrastructure had deteriorated considerably because of neglect. He said although drainage was no longer under his purview, he noticed poor drainage in the area. He said that was because historically the roads were constructed for the use of donkey carts but they were now being used by heavy vehicles.

“So this is one of the areas that has led to their deterioration and we certainly will therefore have to do a lot more about strengthening these roads before they are finally repaved,” he added. He could not give an estimate for the cost of the repairs in Caroni Central but said it would be less than a billion dollars.

He recalled during his previous tours in Princes Town and Moruga/Tableland constituencies, he estimated that the infrastructural repairs in those areas would cost close to a billion dollars each. He added: “Given what I have seen so far this morning, it would not require that level of funding but it will require a substantial amount of funding to fix.”

He said he had written to all MPs asking that they send him a priority list of about ten to 15 of the most crucial infrastructural needs in their constituencies because it would not be possible to do all. The minister is expected to tour the Toco/Sangre Grande constituency today and Pointe-a-Pierre next week.